Inevitable
by Lauren-xo
Summary: Bella, Edward and the rest of the Cullen crew are neighbours. It's inevitable that they'll fall for each other, but when the unexpected hits, how will they deal? All human.
1. The Swing

**Disclaimer**: I am not Stephenie Meyer, and I am not using this for personal or monetary gain.

**A/N**: Finally I've found my inspiration. I've decided to write a multi chapter story, and after a lot of thought I've found my idea. The characters are All Human and it's basically just a normal story with our favourite characters. I want to try to make it as realistic as possible and so I'm drawing on my own personal experiences to write this. Hopefully you'll enjoy it and remember; I love reviews! Now that the long-winded introduction is done, on with the story!

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**Inevitable**

**Chapter 1: The Swing**

**BELLA POV**

_Creak, creak, creak._

The old swings covered with aged rust creaked eerily as I swung. Occasionally bits of that rust would come raining down on my head and I would have to run my fingers through my hair again to make sure it was out. The sun was setting at my back and the darkness was in front of me. I could see my shadow in the sand as I pumped my legs back and forth to get more height.

This was what I loved about going to the park later in the evening. It was silent, mostly empty, and I could just sit on the swing and think. That's what I did best; think. I stared at my shadow and thought of everything that was going on in my life. Sometimes I just listened to my music, other times I preferred the silence. All that really mattered was that I could truly be alone.

Tonight I was thinking about the house with the yard adjacent to mine. It had been empty for many years; I could remember when my brother and I used to play in it. We'd play hide and seek and tag and all those other games we used to play as little children. Our parents would tell us to stay away but we never could, our curiosity always got the better of us and after a while we were allowed to go. I hadn't yet seen who was moving in, all there was so far was the neon _**SOLD!**_ sign on the front lawn.

I started thinking about the time when I moved back to this neighbourhood and to my childhood house. It was a couple months ago, after my parents announced that they were moving out to California to live out their retirement. They gave the house to my brother and I, and we moved back to go to school here. Before we had been sharing a one bedroom flat in Halifax and going to school at Dartmouth. It hadn't been comfortable living arrangements, but my brother and I were very close so we hadn't had any problems. But we obviously jumped at the chance to live in this house again; we could go to school at Laurentian and still attain the goals we made when we left.

Speaking of my brother, he was walking down the sidewalk toward me as I swung on the swings. Even from this distance I could tell that it was him. Jasper was tall and blonde, whereas I was shorter and brunette. His eyes were blue, mine were brown. In almost every aspect we were different, except for the fact that we were both quiet and loved literature. Most often, nobody could tell that we were even twins, only our friends could tell the difference.

"Hey Bella," Jasper said sitting in the swing beside mine.

"Hey Jasper," I replied, slowing down and coming to a stop. Jasper normally left me alone when I was here, he must have an important reason for coming. We sat in a comfortable silence for a minute and I knew he would soon speak.

"So the new neighbours are here," he began, looking at me.

"Oh yeah? What are they like?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't spoken to them yet," Jasper answered. "All I know is that there are 4 of them, 2 girls and 2 guys. Two of them are definitely a couple; they couldn't keep their hands off each other. But the other two looked faintly disgusted, and it didn't seem like they were together in that sense."

"Do you think they're going to be a rowdy gang?" I asked, hoping Jasper would say no. When we were in Halifax our neighbours were real partiers, and all night long we could hear them going at it. It wasn't a pleasant thing when you're trying to study for midterm exams.

"Nah I don't really think so," he said. "They seemed quiet enough, and they weren't whooping and hollering like the ones in Halifax that you're thinking of."

"How'd you know that's what I was thinking of?" I asked dryly, grinning at him. Another weird thing about Jasper and I; we knew what the other was thinking of most of the time.

He grinned back at me and didn't say anything about it. Instead he told me, "I'm going to go back home now, I just wanted to let you know that they were here. See you at home later."

"Alright," I replied as he stood up and starting walking back in the direction of the house. I watched him walk away and smiled. That was my Jasper, always looking out for me.

I continued to sit there, not feeling like swinging anymore, but not willing to go back to the house either. I didn't have any aversion to Jasper or the house; I just liked sitting here on my swing. I let my mind wander to the news about our new neighbours.

So there were four of them and two were together. That left one guy and one girl who were single. Or maybe not single, maybe they had a significant other that hadn't moved in with them. That was always a possibility. No matter what the situation was I was excited to meet them. They must be somewhere around our age.

I was very deep in thought when I heard a creaking noise come from my left. I didn't bother looking, it was almost completely dark out now, and it was probably just from the breeze. I started to swing myself a little bit and I felt the rush of wind blow across my face. I kept pumping my legs, back and forth, back and forth, and soon I as swinging as high as the trees. During one of the swings up my stomach wobbled and I laughed at the strange feeling.

Soon I slowed back down, still laughing and I came to a stop. I sat there in the swing trying to catch my breath for a few moments and I was aware of more creaks beside me, until suddenly they too stopped. The wind was really blowing and my hair was blowing all over the place.

Suddenly I felt a tap on my left shoulder. I froze, knowing that this certainly wasn't the wind. I turned slowly and came face to face with a person.

"Agh!" I gasped, jumping up from my swing and facing the newcomer. To my dismay, he simply laughed.

"Sorry for scaring you," he said simply. "I had heard the creaky swings and I saw you here. I was swinging on this one here but you didn't even see me." He gestured to the left swing. So the creak wasn't even caused by the wind at all.

"It's alright," I answered calmly, though my heart was just getting back to its normal pace. "Do you mind if I ask who you are?"

"I'm Edward Cullen," he said. "I just moved in that house over there." He pointed to the old house next to mine.

"Oh so you're one of the kids that moved in the old house?" I clarified, wanting to make sure that I was right.

"Yup," he replied, still smiling at me. "Aren't you cold?"

I shivered then, I hadn't noticed how cold it was. "Yeah just a little bit."

"May I walk you home then if you're leaving?" He asked.

"Sure," I answered, wanting to tease him a bit. I still didn't know what he looked like, it was too dark outside to tell. I walked in the direction of my house, wondering what he was thinking.

When I reached his house he said, "So I thought I was walking _you_ home."

I laughed and told him, "You did, see you later." And I walked into my own house. I turned on the outside light and I saw him still standing there outside.

"Do you and your friends want to come over?" I asked him, feeling like being polite. They were our neighbours now after all, and it was only eight o'clock.

"Sure if you want. We'll be over in a few minutes," he told me and turned and went into his own house. I went into the den to look for Jasper. I found him sitting on the couch watching hockey.

"Hey Jasper," I said as I passed, going to my room to hang up my jacket.

"Hey Bella," he called back to me.

"We have some company coming," I told him, walking back into the den and sitting beside him.

"Oh really?" He asked. "Who is it?"

"Our new neighbours," I replied.

"Really? That's great. I wanted to meet them. How'd you invite them?"

"I met one of them at the park," I explained.

"That's great," Jasper said. "When are they coming?"

"In a couple minutes," I answered.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"That would them," I said to Jasper and got up to answer the door.

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**A/N**: So there's chapter 1. I wrote in the car, during one of my many quiet times, and I hope you liked it. I'll try to post new chapters as often as I can; I already have general ideas so it shouldn't be too hard. I'm still not sure how long it's going to be, we'll have to see. Anyway, please review!

--x Lauren


	2. So Much For That

**Disclaimer**: I am not Stephenie Meyer and I am just writing this for the fun of it.

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**Chapter 2: So Much For That**

**Bella POV**

I opened the door to let our guests in. Standing in the doorway was Edward, and behind him were his 3 other roommates.

"Hi," Edward told me.

"Hello again Edward," I smiled and ushered him and the others into the den where Jasper was waiting.

"Jasper here are our new neighbours," I told him as I sat down in an armchair. Edward and his friends sat in the empty chairs scattered around the room.

"Hi," Jasper said. "I'm Jasper. Welcome to our neighbourhood."

"Thanks," Edward replied. "I'm Edward Cullen, and my friends are Emmett McCarty, Rosalie Hale, and Alice Brandon." He pointed to each of them as he said their name. The other boy who looked very strong, he was all muscle and he looked like he could crush me in half if he so wanted to. But he smiled and he seemed friendly enough. Rosalie could only be described as gorgeous. She had long wavy blond hair and she had the body every girl idolized. She too smiled and she was seated on Emmett's lap. They must be the couple that Jasper had been describing earlier. Finally there was Alice. She was incredibly tiny; both short and slim, and she had very dark hair cut in a pixie-like hairstyle. She wasn't shy at all; when Edward said her name she laughed and said, "Just Alice, never use my last name."

But what surprised me the most was Edward. I hadn't been able to see him in the dark of the night, so now I got my first good look at him. He was tall, not as tall as Jasper but tall enough, and he too was muscular, but not as muscled as Emmett. He had bronze coloured hair which was tousled slightly, probably caused by the wind I presume. What I noticed the most though was his eyes. They were a bright vivid green, the kind of green of new grass in the spring. They were deep and intense, very thoughtful and knowledgeable.

"So you know," Edward began, looking at me. "You're the only one whose name I don't know."

I stared at him for a minute, trying to remember if I had told him my name. "You're right I guess I didn't. My name is Isabella, preferably Bella if you don't mind though."

"Bella," he repeated, looking thoughtful. "That's a nice name."

"Thanks," I answered, blushing just a little bit.

"So how long have you lived here?" Alice asked.

"Well we used to live here when we were kids," Jasper explained. "But then we moved out to go to college, out to Halifax, but then our parents offered us the house because they were moving out to California for their retirement. So we moved back and in September we're going to go to Laurentian."

"That's really cool," Rosalie murmured.

"It's awesome too because all 4 of us will be going to Laurentian in September as well," Edward added.

"Speaking of which, how come you guys have decided to move here?" I asked.

"Well we've known each other forever, and we decided that in order to get a move on our lives we had to move out of our parents' houses," Emmett told us. "So we decided that instead of splitting up we'd just buy a house together and we could be roomies."

"That's a good idea," Jasper said. "What are you studying at school?"

"Rose and I are studying fashion design, Emmett is studying Phys. Ed, and Edward is studying photography," Alice replied. "We're all in our second year, what about you guys?"

"We're in our second year as well," I answered. "Jasper is studying history and I am studying photography as well."

"What a coincidence," Emmett laughed. "Eddie and Bella will have a grand 'ole time together."

"Emmett," Edward said in a warning tone.

"Well the good thing is that it's only June, we have all summer before we have to go back to school," Emmett said.

I nodded. "And I'm sure you'll find that Sudbury has lots of things to do. You'll never be bored, especially with us around. Jasper and I know everything about this place, and then some."

"That sounds excellent," Edward said. "You know I always wanted to come here when I was younger, goodness knows I've traveled to enough places, but my parents were never interested in visiting a mining town."

"Well you were missing out," I teased.

"Apparently," he retorted. "How old are you guys anyway?"

"We're 19," Jasper replied. "And yourselves?"

"19 as well," Emmett boomed. "Over the legal drinking age finally!"

"Wait, how is it that you are both 19?" Rosalie asked. "You are siblings aren't you?"

"Yes, we're twins," I clarified.

"You don't like twins," Alice said thoughtfully.

"Fraternal twins," Jasper explained, looking at Alice.

Conversation continued back and forth as we described our home life, bits and pieces of our childhood and favourite things about Sudbury and the places where our new friends lived. We all got along and it was refreshing to have new people around, not just the lonely house with Jasper and I in it every night.

A couple hours later, I was starting to fall asleep and I guess that Edward noticed.

"Come on gang, we better let Bella get some sleep," he told the others, standing up. They followed him and started towards the door. Jasper followed the others out while Edward came over to see me first.

"It was really nice meeting you," he said softly.

"Yeah you too," I replied.

"Well we'll see you tomorrow right?"

"Absolutely," I smiled.

"Awesome," he murmured and turned around to leave. I watched him walk away, and for some reason I felt some kind of emotion deep in my core. Almost like sadness.

Jasper came back then and he flopped down beside me on the couch.

"They're really cool," he said, closing his eyes.

"Yeah they are," I agreed.

"I saw Edward eyeing you a few times," he teased, opening his eyes to wink at me.

"Well you sure had your eye on Alice," I retorted.

"You bet I did," he laughed. "She is a cutie."

Thankfully the phone rang and I hopped up to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bella." Edward's smooth voice came from the receiver and I felt my heart jump. Hmm...maybe Jasper was right?

"Um...what's up?"

"I was just thinking about you babe," he said. "And I was wondering if you wanted to come down to my place tonight so we can, you know?"

I felt a sudden rage flare up inside me. So that's what he wanted? I was just a tool to help him achieve his own sexual fantasies?

"You know what Edward?" I hissed. "I'm not like that. I'm not one of those girls that sleeps around, and I never would've pictured you as one of those guys. So forget it, and don't even try to talk to me again. Ugh, I can't believe you would actually try a stunt like that!"

And I slammed down the phone. As soon as my breathing returned to its normal tempo I felt a couple of tears trail down my face. Shoot. I had liked him a little bit hadn't I? Too late now, and he was just a player anyway. Probably slept with a girl in every single new place he'd been to. How typical, the hot guy is only interested is sleeping with girls, not in actual relationships.

I got up and went to my room, after saying a quick goodnight to Jasper. I pulled on my pyjamas and sat beside the phone in my room.

**Edward POV**

As I sat on my bed I thought about what had happened this evening. My friends and I had just moved to this place called Sudbury, in Canada. It was the largest town in Northern Ontario, but still nowhere near as big as towns in the States or even Southern Canada. It was primarily a mining town, but had developed into your average city. Our new house was in a quaint little neighbourhood just outside the busy city.

After we had unloaded all of our things from the big moving truck and had started to unpack a little bit, I decided to go for a walk to check things out. I ended up finding a park just down the street from the house. It was practically empty except for a girl who sat on one of the swings. She wasn't doing anything, just looking at the ground, but she looked deep in thought. She didn't even notice when I sat down in the swing to her left.

I had glanced sidelong at her. I couldn't really tell what she looked like because it was now dark outside but she had dark hair and she looked to be about my own age. She started to swing, still not noticing that I was there.

A few minutes later she stopped again, and I thought that maybe it would be better if she knew I was there. It felt creepy to watch her and she not even know that I was. I walked behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. I must have really brought her out of some kind of trance because she gasped and jumped up.

We proceeded to talk to each other for a little bit and she invited me and my friends over to her house. I left her as she went inside and went to get the others.

The rest of the evening was spent in pleasant company. I finally learned the girl's name; Bella. She was gorgeous. She had dark brown hair and deep brown eyes. Her skin was pale and I noticed that she had a tendency to blush. She was really easy to be around and I found myself starting to crush on her a little bit.

After I left I went to my room to get ready for bed. I was exhausted after a long day. I had just got my shoes off when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi Edward," Bella's voice poured into my ear, and I stopped breathing. She sounded seductive. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting ready for bed," I muttered nervously.

"Would you like help with that?" She purred.

"Bella I think you should go to sleep," I told her. I was starting to get angry. Did she think I was a player interested in one-night stands?

"Maybe I would if you came to help me," she continued. At this, my anger flared and I slammed the phone down. Who did she think she was? And here I thought she was different, but no just like every other girl who I came to like. I felt my anger boil to the surface and I thought it was best if I just went to bed. So much for the thought that we could be friends.

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**A/N**: So here is chapter 2. This story will take place in Sudbury, after all it's the place I know the most about seeing as I used to live there and had lived there for 13 years. Their anger had to come quickly so that I could continue on with the story, they aren't supposed to be friendly. I don't know if I said it but this starts in early June and will continue throughout the summer. Anyway, please review! :)

--x Lauren


	3. Because I Can

**Disclaimer**: I did not create the wonderful beings that belong to Stephenie Meyer. I just write about them.

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**Chapter 3: Because I Can**

**Bella POV**

I woke up the next morning with a terrible headache. I hadn't slept well at all last night, I had terrible dreams. They all revolved around that vile Edward Cullen and his assumptions. I wasn't going to bother with him anymore. I would still be around him and I would still be civil, but he and I were not going to be on friendly terms.

I went for a shower and let the cool water soak over me. I sighed, content for the moment and just let myself relax. I let my mind go blank and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Afterwards, I wrung out the cloth and dried off. I wrapped the towel around my head like a turban and went back into my room. I picked out a pair of jeans and a pink t-shirt and threw them on. I combed my hair and dried it quickly so that it wouldn't be wet when we left. I put an elastic around my wrist for later in case my heart became annoying.

Today Jasper and I were going to take the Roomies out to show them the town. The Roomies was the name that Jasper and I had come up with late last night when we were both wide awake. We had decided to make a name for them; it would be so much easier.

"Morning Jasper," I said to him as I walked into the kitchen. He was seated at the island and eating a bowl of cereal.

"Morning," he muttered absentmindedly. He was reading the paper, looking at the sports section by the look of it.

"Anything good?" I asked, pouring myself a bowl of cereal and sitting down opposite him.

"Not really," Jasper replied, setting down the paper. "So what are we going to show them?"

"We could take them to Science North, and the go-kart track and fun places like that," I suggested.

"Good idea," he said.

After breakfast we cleaned the dishes and left the house. The day was sunny and a little bit on the cool side. That was a good thing, it meant that the weather would warm up later but not so much that we'd be sweating. The summer was starting out to be a hot one, and normally I wouldn't complain; I loved the heat, but I didn't want it today if I was to give Edward "Good-looking" Cullen the cold shoulder.

Jasper rang the doorbell at their house while I waited inside the car. I hadn't told him exactly what happened, only that I was going to be distant with Edward so please don't bring it up. He consented without argument as usual and left me to my own. He returned with the Roomies and they all got in the car. I had insisted on driving seeing as I was deciding where we were going.

"Hey Bella," Emmett greeted me once everyone was settled in and we pulled out of the driveway.

"Hello Emmett," I said cheerily. I liked the rest of the Roomies, they were nice people.

"Where are we going?" Alice asked curiously.

"You'll see," I told her mischievously.

"How come you're deciding where we go?" Edward asked bluntly. I stared out the front window. He seemed mad at _me_, even though he was the one who had phoned last night.

I replied icily, "Because I can."

"Hmpf," he grunted and settled back down in the seat. Even though I was looking out the windshield I could still feel the pairs of eyes on my back, but I didn't blush. If he wanted to make me seem like the bad guy, well two could play at that game.

First I took them to the go-kart track. It was a cute little track and the cars went fast. We bought tickets and went to choose our cars. I knew that the yellow cars were faster than the red cars and red was faster than blue. The blue cars were the slowest.

"Which cars are the fastest?" Edward asked Jasper.

"Blue," I answered before Jasper could have a chance.

"Thank you," Edward said stiffly.

"You're welcome," I smiled warmly and he seemed taken aback. I laughed internally at my wit.

Alice and I chose the yellow cars, Jasper and Emmett chose red cars, and Rosalie and Edward chose blue cars. We were lined up according to colour, with blue at the front, red in the middle and yellow at the back. That was alright with me, I was notorious for bumping other cars out of the way. I wasn't afraid to get sandwiched between the tires and another car. I tried not to wreck anybody but if I did, it wasn't intentional. I didn't want to hurt anyone, even to win a race.

The teenager working the track waved the flag and the race began. Edward was quickly passed and left behind in the dust. I ended up passing everyone else to pull in for the win. I laughed as Edward came dead last a whole 2 seconds after everyone else.

As we were taking off our helmets he came over to me. "I thought you said that blue was the faster car," he snapped.

"Oh don't have a fit Edward, I was just messing around. Besides it's only a race." I laughed and rejoined the others. He just stared at me and shook his head.

Next I took them to Topper's Pizza for a snack. Topper's had originated in Sudbury and had spread throughout Ontario. I bought a large pizza to share and between the 6 of us we finished the whole thing.

I drove us all over town to different parks and things, showing them the local hangouts. Our final stop was Science North. It was one of the coolest attractions for kids in town, and adults too depending on what new exhibition they had. I thought it was important for the Roomies to experience the amazing time that could be had there.

When I pulled into the parking lot and they saw the weird architectural design of the science center I saw a couple eyes widen in the rear view mirror. I chuckled to myself and got out of the car.

"Ok guys so how about here we can split up? There's no reason we can't just explore for the afternoon," Jasper took charge. "Just be sure to meet back at the car at 4 alright? See you guys later."

And with that, he and Alice walked into the building leaving the 4 of us staring at them. A couple seconds later, Emmett whistled.

"Well then Rose dear, shall we?" He asked gallantly, extending his arm to her. She giggled and took it and they too walked inside leaving me with my new nemesis, Edward. I sighed and leaned against the car, looking at him to make a decision.

"Are we going to go in?" He asked, staring at me.

"Sure," I said and stood up. I led him inside, keeping a far distance between us. He didn't seem too upset to oblige.

I showed him everything there was to see, even the things that tourists didn't know about. Jasper and I broke the rules a lot as kids and we found tons of secret hiding spots. I tried to be fairly friendly; I didn't want him to have a miserable time, but there was still stiffness between us.

We were sitting on the bench in front lobby looking out the huge picture window, when I decided to try to get to the bottom of things.

"So Edward what happened last night?" I asked casually, spinning my lemonade lid in my hands. "I mean we were getting along pretty good and then there was the phone call and now things are like this. I just want to get your opinion on this."

He stared at me incredulously for a minute then said, "Well the way I see it, you called me sounding like a hooker, and I refused you. And now today it's all cold shoulders."

"I called you!" I exclaimed. "You're the one who called me and wanted me to go to your room!"

"Oh so now you're calling me a liar?" Edward retorted. "That's rich."

I jumped up, yelled at him "You're so frustrating Edward!", and stomped out the door. I immediately blushed when I was out in the fresh air, I hated causing scenes. I sighed and went out to the car. I got inside and leaned the seat back. As if he had the nerve to blame me for what happened!

Soon the others came to the car and I drove us all home. I was silent, even as the others were talking. I noticed that Edward was silent as well. I dropped the Roomies off in front of their house and pulled into our driveway. I told Jasper that I was going to head in for the night and he told me he was spending the night at our neighbours' house. I smiled and bade him a good night and he left.

I didn't even turn on any lights as I walked through my empty house to my room. Once I was in there I flopped on my bed and closed my eyes, wishing for sleep.

A couple hours later, the phone beside me rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi."

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**A/N**: So first of all I wanted to thank you guys for leaving reviews! Please keep it going, I just eat them up. So I know there's a lot of questions about the phone calls. They will be explained, and I had to put them in to give Bella and Edward a reason to dislike each other. Next chapter will probably be up sometime this weekend, so please review lots! :)

--x Lauren


	4. Confession

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight; I only wish I could live in that world.

**Chapter 4: Confession**

Previously:

_A couple hours later, the phone beside me rang._

"_Hello?" _

"_Hi."_

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"Who is this?" I asked, knowing perfectly well who it was.

"It's Edward." His voice sounded incredibly calm and patient, unlike the tone he'd been using with me all day.

"Oh," was all I said.

"Can we talk?"

"Sure I guess." I wondered what he wanted to talk about.

"Meet me at the park in 10 minutes," he said and he hung up without another word. I sat on my bed for a minute trying to process. He wanted to talk to me at the park about something. He had sounded serious. I grabbed a sweater and slipped on a pair of shoes. I left a note for Jasper in case he came back home. Then I locked the door and left the house.

I could see by the light of the street light that he was on top of the monkey bars. I crossed the sand and stood under him.

"Hey," I said. He looked down at me.

"Climb on up," he told me.

"How do you propose I do that?"

"Climb on the jungle gym and step on that bar. I'll help pull you up."

With a little difficulty I got up beside him. The difficulty came when my clammy hand slipped from his heated one. It wasn't a huge deal; I just had to climb back up on the bar. Now that I was up he gave me a minute to compose myself before he spoke.

"So we have to talk," he began.

"What about?" I asked.

"About everything," he answered soberly.

"Alright well you start because I need to know where you're heading with this."

"Ok then. You and me met yesterday, we were starting out to be pretty good friends I thought and now today we aren't talking and it's been pretty awkward. So what happened here?"

I thought about how I wanted to word it before I spoke. "Well I'm not sure if you recall, but the phone call from last night is what led to this." I gestured to the monkey bars.

"Yes I do remember that, but I was thinking that maybe we should discuss what happened? Maybe this is a misunderstanding," he ventured carefully.

"Sure then," I nodded.

"Alright well I'll tell you my side and you tell me yours then?" He asked and I nodded again. "Well after I left I was sitting on my bed and the phone rang. I answered it and it was you. You asked what I was doing and after I told you that I was getting ready for bed you asked if I needed help. I tried to say goodbye politely but you just kept going until finally I just had to slam the phone down." He looked at me seriously and I stared incredulously. He was changing everything around.

"Well that's certainly different from what I remember of the event," I told him. "I was getting ready for bed when you called and said you were thinking about me and wanted to know if I'd go to your house, if you catch my drift."

Edward's eyes widened as I told him this, but just as I thought he was going to snap at me, he paused and I could almost see the gears turning in his head. What was he thinking now? Another excuse or another story to turn this on me? But that's not what he said.

"Bella what time did I call last night?" He asked politely.

"Excuse me?" I asked. I couldn't believe my ears.

"Like what time was it?"

"Umm...around 10:30, why?"

"Ah see that's the problem," he said and nodded. "See you called me at 10:45, a full 15 minutes later. And I can prove it to because the message is saved on my phone."

I thought about what he was saying but came up blank. "Edward what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that somebody tricked us into thinking the other was a sleaze."

"And you expect me to believe that Edward Cullen?" I hissed. "Wouldn't that be the perfect excuse, create a phone call of me saying those things and blaming everything on a misunderstanding?"

He looked at me in shock. "Bella as if you are saying this? Even though you don't know anything about me, surely you can tell that I wouldn't lie or even behave like that at all!"

"But see that's what you said," I retorted. "You said that I don't know anything about you; how true that is. Maybe this is something you'd do."

"Bella don't be ridiculous," a voice said from below us. I gasped and looked down to see Jasper and Alice looking up at me and Edward. "How long have you been there?" I asked.

"Only a minute," Alice replied. "But we heard enough to know what is going on. And I must say Edward you truly prove your intelligence time and time again."

"What are you talking about?" I demanded, feeling very confused. I looked over at Edward and he smirked at me.

"Bella he's right. Somebody, well actually somebody_s_, were playing a trick on you," Alice said sheepishly. "Emmett and I wanted to mess with you guys a little bit so we phoned you and made up those things. We didn't think you'd actually take it so seriously!"

Realization dawned on me as I understood why Edward's voice had sounded slightly different on the phone. "So it really was two phone calls then?"

"Yeah," Alice grinned.

"Oh. Well then, I'm sorry Edward," I said to him.

"I'm sorry as well for overreacting," he replied.

I slipped down from the monkey bars and landed beside Jasper. "So what are you doing here then?"

"I came to help Alice with her confession," he smiled and another piece clicked into place. I looked at Alice and back at him.

"You two are together now aren't you?" I teased, pretending to be suspicious.

"Yup," he laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Well congratulations then," I laughed.

"Should we go home now?" Edward asked us.

"Sure," I replied, now feeling pretty silly for my actions earlier.

We walked back home and before Edward went into his house I called to him. "Hey Edward!"

He turned around to look at me. "Yeah?"

"Sorry about the go-karts. The blue cars are actually the slowest," I grinned and watched as he laughed and went inside his own house. Jasper had walked Alice to her door and was now coming back to our yard. I quickly shut our door and locked it, leaving Jasper locked outside for another few minutes, teasing him until he threatened to leave and sleep at the Roomies house for the night.

* * *

**A/N**: So yeah this chapter was definitely on the short side, only 3 pages. It's the product of a sleepless night and a homework-filled afternoon. I know it was a little bit odd, but at least you know what happened right? I promise that the story will get better in time. Please review, they are so very important to me! I don't want to have to ask for them but at least 5 would make me ever so happy! :)

--x Lauren


	5. Shelves and Taco Fights

**Disclaimer**: I am not Stephenie Meyer and this is not for personal gain.

**Chapter 5: Shelves and Taco Fights**

**Bella POV**

Waking up in the morning I was overcome with a sense of peace. I thought that I had made some sort of amends with Edward; after all our anger towards each other was invalid now that we knew the truth. I made a note to myself to ask him about it when Jasper and I went to their house today. The Roomies had invited us to come see their new home and we were going to help them finish unpacking. I was excited and Jasper was obviously pleased.

I had interrogated him last night once I let him in the house. He admitted that he and Alice were together now after only spending a night talking and a day around town together. He told me that it was like "love at first sight." I laughed at him but played along; he was happy and I liked Alice.

After breakfast and more early morning chores, we locked up and walked over. We had just set foot on their lawn when the door opened and Alice came running out the door. She ran straight for Jasper and jumped in his arms. The entire scene made it look like they hadn't seen each other in days rather than a couple hours, but it did look cute. A couple seconds later she broke away from him and came to give me a hug.

"Hey Bella," she said quietly in my ear.

"Hi," I replied, just as quietly.

"Everything's going to be alright," she told me, pulling back and smiling at me. At first I was confused; what was she talking about? But then I figured that she must be talking about Edward. I smiled back and nodded.

She wrapped her arm around Jasper and led the both of us inside. I hadn't been in the house since we moved back and it looked pretty different. It was gorgeous, with bright colours on the walls, and deep brown hardwood floors. The furniture was new and really sharp looking. The others were seated in the living room, watching us come in and if it had been anybody else I would've felt very self-conscious, but I knew they liked my brother and I and that they were just being welcoming.

"Hey guys!" Emmett called from his spot on the couch. Rosalie was sitting right next to him, almost sitting on him actually, and they had their arms around each other. Edward was sitting in an armchair, with a slight smile on his face. Alice and Jasper went to sit on the loveseat and I sat on the floor.

"So what are we up to today?" Jasper asked.

"Well we have to finish unpacking, and then we figured we'd play video games and you could stay over for supper and we could watch movies later or something," Rosalie said.

"Sounds good," I replied. It would be nice to spend the day with the Roomies.

After a bit more chatter about how we spent the night last night, everyone split up to start unpacking. I noticed Emmett and Rosalie went to their room and Jasper followed Alice to her room. I wasn't sure what I would be doing until Edward stood and offered his hand so he could pull me up.

"You can help me if you want," he said quietly.

"Alright," I answered. This would be a good way to broach the topic. I followed him up to his room on the second floor. It was painted gold and was large and spacious. He had a whole wall section filled with empty shelves. The other walls had some pictures, but were mostly bare. The furnishings in the room were fairly simple, just a bed, a dresser, and a desk. And then in the corner there was a massive stereo system. It was the kind that I wanted to get one day, one that would blast music out. I stared at it wide-eyed until I heard Edward chuckle.

"You like it?" He asked, going over and popping a couple CDs into it.

"It's amazing," I answered earnestly. "I want to get one someday."

"Really? You're into music then?" He asked, his eyes eager.

"Yeah, I love music," I replied.

"Awesome," he said smiling.

"So what do you need to do?" I asked. "It seems like you've got everything unpacked."

He laughed again and said, "I got the easy job done. The last thing is to fill the shelves." He gestured to the wall.

"What's going on all those shelves?"

"My CDs," he replied. I'm sure my eyes were huge again. He needed all those shelves for his music?

It turns out that he did need all those shelves. We spent the better part of the morning organizing his CDs so when we went to put them on the shelves we wouldn't get mixed up. He organized them by genre, year, and alphabetical order.

We were just finishing up that task when I remembered what I wanted to talk to him about. But I didn't mention it out loud; I was enjoying just talking about the music with him. He was so knowledgeable about music; he knew the answer to every question I asked, even the really tough ones that even I didn't know the answer to. I had made it a sort of game, to see what the extent of his music prowess was. There didn't seem to be a limit.

"So if you're so into music, how come you're studying photography at school?" I asked as we started to but the bundles of CDs on the shelves.

"I like music but only as a hobby," he answered putting some 80s music on a shelf. "If I studied it at school I knew I wouldn't find it fun anymore."

"Why wouldn't it be fun anymore?"

"Well school's all about work right?" He explained. "So after a while all the work would get to me and everything would become too analytical and I just didn't want that to happen. So I chose photography."

"That makes sense," I said.

"That's good, I was hoping I wasn't deranged or something," he joked. "So why are you studying photography?"

"I've always loved pictures," I answered. "They tell a story, and you know how they say a picture is worth a thousand words? Well I wanted to learn how to do that. I was always in love with photography, even more than I love music and I knew I had to study it."

"And you don't find it not fun anymore?" He asked.

"Nope, I'm having the time of my life," I said.

"Well that's great," he grinned.

"So how come you chose photography then? Do you like it at all or did you just choose it because you had to pick something?"

"Oh I always liked photography a bit and I was becoming more interested in it so I decided to study it further. I actually find it really fascinating now," he told me.

"Awesome, maybe we'll be in the same classes in the fall," I said.

"Maybe," he echoed.

A couple more hours later and everything was up on the shelves. That meant he was completely unpacked. I glanced at the clock and was surprised to see that it was already five o'clock. We stretched and went downstairs.

The others were already in the kitchen and Rosalie and Alice were chopping vegetables and stirring meat in a pan. Jasper and Emmett were sitting on the island stools drinking a fruity looking drink. I stared at Jasper; normally he wasn't one for the "girly" drinks. He preferred manly drinks like beer or whiskey.

"Alice told me to try it," he replied to my expression. "It's actually really good."

"I told you Jasper," Emmett laughed. "These chick drinks actually aren't that bad." Everyone else laughed and I went over to help the girls while Edward sat on an empty stool.

"Can I help with something?" I asked Alice.

"Sure, do you want to get out plates and things?" She said without looking up from the pan. I opened a cupboard and got out plates and utensils.

"What's for supper?" Edward asked.

"Tacos," Rosalie replied.

"Yum," Emmett rubbed his stomach.

The girls dished the food into huge bowls and we carried it to the island. It smelled delicious and the boys dug in immediately. I wondered why the girls had cooked so much food. There were only 6 of us after all.

I should've seen it coming; I mean I was eating supper with a bunch of rowdy boys and the other girls were carefully seated pretty far away from them. But I was shocked when I saw Emmett grab a handful of lettuce and shoot it at my face. I spluttered and coughed out lettuce pieces as everyone else laughed.

"Gotta love taco night," Emmett winked. I grabbed some tomatoes and threw them at him but they hit Edward instead.

"It's so on," he grinned, wiping tomato mush off his face. And so the war began. I now knew why the girls had made so much food. By the time people began to surrender we were all covered in various food items and there was a normal amount of food left. After we wiped our faces with washcloths produced by Alice, we made our tacos and ate them normally.

The boys cleared up the table after supper, which was the routine I was informed. The girls cooked and the boys cleaned up after. I sat with Alice and Rosalie in the living room and we drank our cocktails. They were really fruity and I told Alice I'd have to get the ingredient list from her. We had picked out a movie by the time the boys were done the dishes and everyone moved seats to make room. Somehow there were now 3 couches in the room so Alice and Jasper sat on one, Rosalie and Emmett on another and Edward and I had to share the third.

Rosalie popped the movie in and dimmed the lights. I saw the other couples start to snuggle up to each other and I felt pretty awkward. I hugged my arms and sat still at one end of the couch while Edward lounged at the other end. What didn't help was that the movie was also a sappy romantic one.

I sat in the same position for the entire movie, too wrapped in my thoughts to concentrate on the movie plot. I was so out of it that I jumped when Edward tapped me on the shoulder. I looked around and saw that the other four were asleep and the movie credits were rolling. Edward was looking at me and I turned so that I was facing him.

"The others fell asleep around the middle of movie," he said. "And I'm assuming that they'll stay asleep for a while. So do you want to go upstairs?"

"I should probably go home," I told him.

"Nonsense, I won't let you go by yourself," he chided and before I knew what was going on he had scooped me in his arms and were going up to his room.

He set me on his bed, grabbed a CD from the newly stocked shelves and slid it into the stereo. Sot sounds drifted from the speakers and I looked at him curiously. What was going on?

He sat next to me and looked at his hands, twisting them together a couple times before he spoke. "So we have to talk."

"What about?" I asked.

"About where we stand," he told me, looking at me now and I felt a strange feeling go through me.

"Like our feelings and stuff?" I stuttered. 'Just brilliant,' I thought to myself. 'Can't I even string a sentence together?'

"Yeah," he replied.

"Well seeing as the whole thing from yesterday was fraud and we had no right to be mad at each other I would think that we could put it behind us," I ventured carefully.

"My thoughts exactly," he agreed. "But now what?"

"Well what do you mean?"

"Are things going to be awkward between us from now on? Because I know what I feel and if I learned anything from you that first night at the park I can tell you feel the same."

"Do you care to elaborate on that?" I asked feeling confused. What was he getting at?

"Do you mind if I just spit it out?" I shook my head and Edward continued. "I like you Bella. More than just a friendly like. And I learned so much about you this afternoon and the past couple days without you even noticing. That fight really tore me up at the time; I couldn't believe what was going on. And then it turns out that none of it was real and that my feelings didn't have to change. Today was amazing and it confirmed my feelings."

I sat there feeling speechless. I felt the exact same way, and that made the entire situation feel impossible. How could he feel all that about me with only knowing me for three days? 'Same as how you can feel that,' the little voice inside my head said.

"You don't have to say you feel the same way," Edward rushed through his words, misinterpreting my silence. "I just wanted you to know and-"

I had silenced him by pressing my hand to his mouth. "Shhh. Edward I do feel the same way. I've known it ever since the first time I spoke to you. You don't know how long I cried that night of the fake phone call that started our fight. And I was going to bring it up earlier but I didn't know how you felt and I didn't want to wreck the easy conversation we had. "

Edward stared at me. "You mean, you do feel the same way?"

"Yes," I replied, smiling at him. He grinned, leaned over and gave me a big hug. I sighed and leaned against his chest. What a relief expressing your feelings could be.

**A/N: **Sorry it took so long to write another chapter. Final exams are in a month so the extra work load is starting. But I had a 4 hour car ride today so I wrote 2 chapters. This one is the longest I have written so far, so I hope it was worth the wait. I'll post Chapter 6 tomorrow. :) Review and I'll send you an e-cookie!

--x Lauren


	6. Falling In More Ways Than One

**Disclaimer**: I am envious of Stephenie Meyer's imagination; something that is not mine.

**Chapter 6: Falling In More Ways Than One**

**Bella POV**

Edward and I stayed up in his room the entire night just listening to music and sharing our preferences and things. No intimate contact happened between us, just the one hug after our confessions. We had now accepted that we liked each other but that didn't just automatically change how we behaved around each other, we just made it official.

We learned more about each other as we sat side by side on his bed. I learned that he loved music from the 50s and he could play the piano, and I told him about my clumsiness and how I had broken my leg tripping during a ballet lesson when I was 6. He laughed at that and said that I didn't seem so clumsy, but I retorted by telling him that he hadn't seen anything.

Around midnight we went to bed, I slept in his bed and he brought in the extra mattress that was being stored in the hallway closet outside of his room. My brother was staying over and the others were all comfortable in their rooms so Edward had insisted that I stay. I told him that I would sleep on the mattress but he wouldn't hear anything of it. So grumbling all the way, I slept in his bed. I borrowed a t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants to sleep in because he wouldn't even let me leave. I suppose he thought I wouldn't come back or something.

I woke up at around 3 am because I was cold. I sat up in the dark and waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Edward was snoring lightly on the floor and I could his outline in the dark. He was facing me, his arm outstretched on the ground. I smiled; he looked so peaceful. I shivered just then and noticed that the window had been opened. I got up and shut it and my teeth chattered as I made my way back to the bed. I almost made it back on the bed when I fell.

I stumbled over the corner of the mattress and I ended up falling right on top of Edward. I inhaled sharply and I heard him gasp. His eyes opened, the whites showing from the moonlight.

"Hi Edward," I said sheepishly trying to push myself off of him but he grabbed me and pulled me further on top of him.

"What are you doing missy?" He joked, pretending to be mad but I could hear the smile in his voice.

"I could ask you the same thing," I teased still trying to get up.

"Stay still for a minute Bella," he said. "I won't eat you, you don't have to try and run away. Besides, I thought you said you liked me."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Yes but that doesn't mean I have to lie on top of you. I was closing the window and I fell."

"A likely story," he retorted, poking my nose.

"It's true," I protested but stopped moving anyway. It was silent and I could hear everything; our breathing, the beat of his heart under me. We lay like that for a while, until I heard someone shift below us. I was immediately aware of how awkward the situation would be if someone walked in on us lying like this. I tried to push myself up and thankfully Edward complied.

"See that wasn't so bad was it?" He asked, sitting up as well.

"No," I replied shyly. "It was pretty nice actually."

"That's good to hear," he replied. He snaked his arm around my waist and I leaned against him. The silence returned but it wasn't uncomfortable because I wasn't lying on top of him this time. He began to hum quietly in my ear and I felt his face bury into my hair. I closed my eyes and let his music take me away to sleep...

When I woke up again I was lying in Edward's bed but I wasn't alone. I felt him behind me and I turned around to face Edward. His head was propped up his hand and he was looking at me with a peculiar expression on his face.

"Good morning sleepy," he said quietly, leaning forward so that our faces were only inches apart. "Was my humming that boring last night?"

"No it was beautiful," I replied smiling at him. "Thank you."

"For what?" He asked. "You did me the favour."

"How did I do you a favour? You were the one who sang me to sleep."

"You didn't try to escape when I put my arm around you and you aren't leaving right now even though you've just discovered that we slept in the same bed last night," he explained.

"Well you're welcome then," I smiled. I reached up and played with his hair while Edward traced my face with his fingers.

"Did you know that you talk in your sleep?" Edward asked. I stared at him wide-eyed.

"Not again!" I cried. I knew I slept-talk, Jasper teased me about it all the time. "Did I keep you up?"

"No it was quite soothing actually," he assured me.

"What did I say?" I asked.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes!"

His eyes became really soft and he told me, "You said my name."

I looked at him. "Is that all?"

"No," he teased. "But I don't want to tell you what else you said."

"Aw that's not very nice," I pouted.

"Don't pout," he said. "I'll tell you in due time."

"Oh big words," I laughed.

"You know it," he winked.

"So how long are we going to lay here anyway?" I wonder aloud.

"However long you want to," he said.

"What about the others? Won't they be suspicious?"

"They're already gone," he told me casually.

"What?! What time is it and how long have they been gone?"

"It's about ten and they've been gone for 2 hours," he said.

"Lovely," I sighed. "So we have the whole house to ourselves."

"Yup," he nodded. "So what do you want to do?"

"Can you play the piano for me?" I asked. I had seen the piano in the living room last night.

"Sure," he replied, his eyes brightening. He rolled off the side of the bed, came over to my side, picked me up and carried me down to the living room. He set me down on the piano bench and sat beside me. I watched as he played, his hands moving gracefully and the notes flowing freely around the room.

He played a couple songs for me and I leaned against his arm. When he finished the last song he dropped his hands from the keys to wrap them around me.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Anytime," he replied. We went to sit on the couch and watched the morning news for a while. Then he went over to my place to grab a change of clothes for me and I made some coffee. I didn't even notice when he came back, I just felt his arms around me and I gasped, almost dropping a cup of hot coffee.

"Did I tell you how good you look in my clothes?" Edward asked.

"No but I'm flattered." I turned and handed him the cup. He lifted it to his mouth and drank deeply.

"Mmmm, it's good, thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," I replied and went upstairs to change and brush my teeth. I brushed my hair and threw it up in a messy ponytail. When I came back down he was already changed in a new set of clothes.

"So what are we going to do today seeing as it's just us?" I asked him, sitting at the island.

"I was wondering if I could take you somewhere," Edward proposed.

"Sure," I answered. "Where are we going then?"

"You'll see when we get there," he teased and stood up. He took my hand and led me to his car; a silver Volvo. He opened the passenger door for me and closed it once I got in. He slid in the driver's seat and we were off.

* * *

**A/N**: So here is Chapter 6, just like I promised. I know it's not as long as the last chapter but my laptop had been about to die so I cut it off. But at least you know where I'm heading. Please review and I'll try to keep updating every couple of days! Thanks for your reviews, e-cookies for you! :)

--x Lauren


	7. Teasing and Votes

**Disclaimer**: My name is not Stephenie Meyer, it's Lauren and I love to write about characters that are not mine.

**Chapter 7: Teasing and Votes**

**Bella POV**

I learned something new about Edward as he drove us to wherever we were going; he liked to drive fast. He was hitting 60 by the time we reached the highway.

"You see," he said, taking his eyes off the road to look at me. "This is much better than those teeny go-karts isn't it?"

"Edward I know how to drive, the go-karts were for fun. And keep your eyes on the road," I scolded, feeling a little bit nauseous.

"Fine then," he grinned and turned his eyes back to the road. After a couple seconds he said, "So are we official?"

"Official what?" I teased, wanting him to say it out loud.

"Boyfriend and girlfriend," he called my bluff and wasn't ashamed about it.

"Well I certainly hope so," I told him. "I mean I gave you a hug didn't I?"

"That was your way of making it official?" He asked incredulously. "I'll have to make you don't hug anyone else from now on."

"Relax Edward I was kidding," I laughed, making him stick his tongue out at me. I turned to look out the windshield and watch the scenery. All of a sudden I felt a cool hand wrap around my own. "Edward your hand is freezing!"

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I was hot so I stuck my hands in the freezer before we left."

"How would that help?" I asked.

"The coolness from your hands would travel to your body, which would in turn make you feel cooler," he explained professionally.

"You made that up didn't you?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "But I thought I'd try it anyway."

I shook my head. "You're a weird person you know that?"

"Then why did you agree to be my girlfriend?" He shot back laughing. I laughed too and started to think about where Edward could be taking me. He drove for a little while longer and turned into a library parking lot.

"Why the library?" I asked him, feeling confused.

"You'll see," he told me and got out of the car. Before I had even taken my seat belt off he had opened my door and was holding out his hand for me. "You're quite the gentleman aren't you?"

"I try," he answered, and never once letting go of my hand he led me inside.

The library was a cute place. I had actually never set foot in this particular library; I went to the one closer to my house. This one was a wide and spacious room and it was decorated to feel cozy. Edward led me towards the back where there were chairs and tables for people to sit at and read or do work. As we rounded the corner and I saw what was waiting for us, I gasped in surprise.

Seated at a big table were Jasper and the rest of the Roomies. They were smiling and their eyes traveled down to Edward and my locked hands.

"Hey kiddies," Emmett said, pulling out the remaining 2 chairs for us.

"We're the same age as you are Emmett," I retorted, sitting down.

"Yeah well we're older in the sexual sense," he teased.

"Emmett!" I gasped, horrified and embarrassed. "We're in a library!"

"So?" He challenged, still grinning, but before I could get another word in Alice had cleared her throat.

"So now that Edward and Bella have arrived and as we can see are now an item, I propose that we commence this meeting," she said, sounding all business.

"And what exactly is the purpose of this meeting?" Jasper asked and the Roomies started to snicker.

"Well Jasper the others and I have been friends forever and way back when we decided that when the day came that we all had boyfriends or girlfriends and we weren't minors anymore, we were going to take our partners and all of us were going to go on a vacation of sorts for a week or so," she explained sweetly.

"Just because you all have partners?" I asked in disbelief. "Wouldn't that happen a lot?"

"Actually no," Rosalie spoke up. "Emmett and I have been together for about 5 years now but Edward and Alice have never had a boyfriend or girlfriend at the same time in those 5 years. Another one of our conditions was that we had to agree that it would be worth it to take that vacation."

"And so you've all agreed then that Bella and I are worthy?" Jasper asked.

"It was unanimous," Edward replied, smiling down at me. I felt a blush rising in my cheeks which caused Edward to smile even more. He was genuinely happy about what was going on.

"So where are we going then?" I asked.

"Well that's why we're having the meeting," Alice continued. "We would've just surprised you two but we wanted to make sure that wherever we go everyone will have a good time. We're also going to set up the dates that we'll be gone and the general rules for the trip."

"There are rules?" Jasper asked and all of the Roomies nodded their heads.

"We need to get them straight. They're absurd things really that no one who is in love should have to worry about but we want to make sure that they are in place anyway," Emmett explained.

"Alright so how are we going to decide then?"

Rosalie procured a small box from under the table. "Write your desired destination spot on a piece of paper and then we'll pull from the box. We'll come up with pros and cons for each and at the end we'll pick the location."

"Sounds good," I agreed and took a piece of paper from her. I wrote down the place I most wanted to visit and folded it up. Rosalie having already written hers ahead of time stuck the box out towards me and I dropped it inside. Once everyone was done she shook the box around, and we all listened to the little pieces of paper jingling inside. I wondered what everyone else had wrote down and whether my idea was any good. Rosalie took the lid of the box and held it out towards Jasper to pull out a piece of paper.

"Greece," he read and put it on the table. Alice wrote the name down on a piece of paper and made a column for the pros and a column for the cons.

"Well it's a very pretty place," Rosalie said thoughtfully.

"And it's full of colour and there are lots of places to swim," Edward added.

"It's summer too so the weather should be nice." Alice wrote all of our suggestions down and then we did the cons. Then well did the same for the rest of places. In addition to Greece there was Italy, Paris, California, Australia, and London.

Around an hour later we were finished all the lists. "So now we have to agree on where we're going to go," Alice informed us and spread the sheets out on the table. "Look at everything that was said and decide. We'll go around the table and you say which place you want to go to."

"Paris," Edward said right away. Emmett smirked at him.

"The place of romance eh Edward? Well I pick Paris too," he told Alice who wrote both votes down.

"Australia," Rosalie said.

"Australia," Jasper agreed.

"Paris," Alice voted.

"Australia," I said and Edward shot me a look.

"Why Australia?" He asked.

"I've always wanted to go there," I explained. "And I'm the one who wrote that one down on the paper."

"Well that's funny," Edward commented. "I'm the one who wrote down Paris."

"So how are we going to break the tie?" Jasper asked.

"Well how about we draw from a hat?" Emmett suggested. "That is, if we all agree that either Paris or Australia is fine."

We all nodded our agreement and Rosalie but the two pieces of paper back in the box. She shook it around for a long time before holding the box out to Emmett this time. He reached inside and pulled out...

"Paris," he declared and grinned.

"Well it's settled then," Alice cheered and wrote it down. "Now we need to set up the dates and the rules."

"I say we leave this weekend," Edward said. "After all it's our summer vacation. And we can go for 2 weeks."

"I'm good with that," Emmett agreed and Jasper nodded.

"That's cool with you, girls?" Alice asked before writing it down. Rosalie and I nodded and Alice scribbled the dates down.

"So our last order of business is to decide the rules," she informed us.

"Let's make this easy," Rosalie decided. "No strip clubs, hanging out with other people, sneaking of the hotel room, or any other activity that would result in suspicious behaviour."

"I like it," I spoke up.

"Well if Bella's okay with that than I am too," Edward said.

"Great then that's settled," Alice said after everyone else agreed. "We have a lot to do if we are going to leave this Saturday. We have 5 days including today to pack and get tickets and get ready so we had better get going. Rose, Bella, we're going shopping."

"Why?" I asked horrified. I hated shopping with a passion.

"Because we need to clothes that will be appropriate for where we are going," she informed me and there was an evil glint in her eye that I didn't particularly like.

"Fine," I huffed.

"Boys, you will be in charge of getting plane tickets and accommodations alright?"

"Yup," Edward said cheerfully.

"Now that everything's been settled, let's split up," Alice stood and the rest of us followed suit. "We'll meet back at our house tonight at 8. No being late or else."

She grabbed Rosalie and I by the arms and practically dragged us outside, leaving the boys watching after us.

* * *

**A/N**: Yay a new chapter! Thanks for the reviews, you've helped me more than you'll know. So they're going to Paris on a sweet little vacation, everybody 'aw' now. But they have to pack and things first, which is what the next chapter(s) will be about. So please review! Let me know if you want something to be done, I'm open to suggestions!

--x Lauren


	8. Encounter

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE! **

**So do you guys remember how I said in one of my previous author's notes that I didn't have a specific plan with this story and I was just writing what came to me? Well I was at the beach yesterday, and I was trying to sort out my thoughts for this story. And then I had a wonderful idea for this story and I just can't let it go. I need to tell you guys this because I think I'm going to have to change the rating of this story. I don't want to give away the idea, but I will tell you that I'm not changing it because of a lemon. It's for an actual thematic element. I have almost the entire story figured out, I just need to change the rating. So I need your opinions. If I were to up the rating, would you still read the story? Please review for this chapter and let me know. Anyway, on to the chapter!**

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**Disclaimer**: I am not Stephenie Meyer and I am not writing for anything except pure enjoyment.

**Chapter 8: Encounter**

**Bella POV**

Alice was a ball of energy and Rosalie loved speed.

We took Rose's M3 and I was terrified at first. She zipped through the busy afternoon streets at top speed. She and Alice must have been used to driving at that speed I noted, as they were talking about the trip and Rose was taking her hand off the wheel to fiddle with the radio dial. She settled on a rock station and she and Alice immediately recognized the song. I did too once the lyrics started and I was relaxed enough that I sang along with them.

_Just a small town girl  
Living in a lonely world  
She took the midnight train going anywhere._

_Just a city boy  
Born and raised in South Detroit  
He took the midnight train going anywhere._

_A singer in a smoky room  
The smell of wine and cheap perfume  
For a smile they can share the night  
It goes on and on and on and on._

We sang the entire song perfectly and when it was over we cracked up laughing. Rosalie turned to me and said, "You fit right in with us Bella."

"Agreed," Alice said smiling. "You're just as crazy as we are."

"Thanks I guess," I replied as I stuck my tongue out at them. They laughed and by this time we had reached the mall. Rosalie pulled into a spot and turned off the car. As we stepped outside I noticed three guys with a staring problem. I blushed for they were guys I recognized from high school. They were good-looking, but they had a bad reputation and I didn't want to associate with them. I discreetly nudged Rose and Alice and they both turned to look at me.

"Watch out for those guys," I whispered. "They're dangerous."

They turned slightly to see which guys I was talking about and then they nodded. We kept walking, completely ignoring the guys. To my dismay however, the guys had another plan. They walked over and stood in front of us, blocking our path. There were only three of them, but I was still really nervous.

"Well, well, well," the guy in middle drawled. "If it isn't Ms. Bella Swan."

"Hello Kyler," I said, coldly polite as I tried to lead Alice and Rosalie around them.

"Don't try to leave sugar," the one on the left said. "Don't you remember us at all?"

"Of course, how could I forget?" I asked.

"That's good to hear that you recognize us, but who are your friends? I don't think we've ever met," Kyler smirked.

"This is Alice and Rosalie," I told him reluctantly. "They are my neighbours."

"Pleasure to meet you, I am Kyler and these two are my best friends Cam and Carson," he told the other girls, and his tone scared me.

"Well we had better get going," I said quickly, wanting to evade trouble.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" He asked. "Wouldn't you like to come with us?"

"No thank you," Alice spoke up in a strong voice. "We have things to do. We're leaving for Paris with our boyfriends in a few days."

"Paris eh?" Cam said. "I hear that's a nice place."

"Yes," Rosalie said coldly. "Now please move or else I will be forced to hurt you."

They stared at her for a moment and then they laughed.

"Sure sugar whatever you say," Carson said, making a move towards her. That was a big mistake for as soon as he reached his arm out Rosalie quickly brought up her knee and hit him in the groin area. He fell to the ground, crying in pain.

"Let's go girls," Rose said and she pulled Alice and me around the boys and into the mall. I looked back for a moment and I saw Kyler staring at us. I didn't like the look in his eyes.

Once we were safely inside, Rose pulled us to a bench and forced us to sit down.

"You'd better explain who those guys were Bella," she told me. "I didn't like the look of them at all, and the things they were saying were very disturbing."

"They went to my high school," I said. "They have a bad reputation for luring girls out and then never bringing them back. If you were seen with one of them, the next day you disappeared for good. It's a really creepy tale and it's never been proven, but no girl likes to get near them if they can help it."

"Well they won't be getting to us," Alice replied confidently.

"Should we tell the guys?" I asked.

"Nah, they'll probably go overboard and make us report it to the police or something," she said. "I don't want our trip to be held up because of this."

"I agree," Rosalie piped up.

"Alright," I conceded and we got up and went shopping.

As much as I hated shopping, Alice made it fun. She would pick out a lot of different things for each of us and then we'd all go into the dressing room area and have a little fashion show for each other. Then they'd suggest things to one another about the stitching or the material or the fit of the clothing and at the end we'd pick out our favourite things. It was fun to shop with them.

We were finished by 4:30 and we went out to the car. Alice and Rose each had 5 bags, while I had 2. I didn't need to get so many clothes, because I had just gone summer clothes shopping a couple weeks ago. Thankfully Kyler, Cam, and Carson were nowhere to be found and we left the mall in good spirits.

I dropped my new things at my house and then walked over to the Roomies' house where I knew Jasper was. Edward was waiting for me when I walked in the door.

"Hello," he said, wrapping his arms around me in a hug. "I really missed you today."

"Did you?" I asked, smiling at him.

"Of course, but I got a lot done for the trip as well," he told me, leading me up to his bedroom.

"Did you get plane tickets?" I asked.

"Yup," he answered. "Did you have fun with the girls?"

"Yeah I did, it was great," I said.

"You weren't overwhelmed by their shopping abilities?" He teased.

"No," I laughed and we sat on his bed.

"I'm really excited for this trip you know," he told me.

"I am too; I think it will be great to get away for a while."

"Hey guys, come down for a minute," Alice called. Edward stood up and held is hand out for me. I took it and he pulled me up. We went into the living room where Alice and Jasper were watching the TV.

"What's up?" Emmett asked, coming into the room as well with Rosalie.

"Paris is on the news," Jasper told them. It was an article about how the weather was supposed to be nice and how a festival was going on there. We sat on the couches and watched as the announcers described the different events and activities that were going to take place, all during the time that we were there.

"We couldn't have picked a better time to go," Edward commented when the article was over.

"I know right?" Alice said. "We didn't even know about the festival when we picked this place."

"It's going to be one wicked trip," Emmett grinned.

"I agree," I nodded.

"I'm excited now," Rosalie said.

"Me too," we all said at the same time and laughed. I was really excited for this trip. With Jasper and the Roomies, and now we knew about this huge festival, it was probably going to be a blast.

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**A/N**: In case you don't know, the song is called "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey. I'm sorry it took a while for this chapter; I had some writer's block and like I said earlier I needed to sort out my ideas. But now that I have all my ideas chapters should be coming almost once a day, depending on school work and such. So please review and give me your opinions. I hope you still like it.

--x Lauren


	9. Rainy Kidnapping

**Chapter 9: Rainy Kidnapping**

**Bella POV**

"Hey Edward," I called, lacing up my running shoes.

"Yeah?" he asked, walking into the foyer. We were all at the Roomies' house again, just hanging out when I felt the urge to go for a jog.

"I'm going out for a jog down by the beach; I'll be back later alright?" I told him, grabbing my IPod and adjusting my shorts.

"Alright," he answered. "How long do you think you'll be?"

"Only around an hour," I replied and slipped out the door. I put my earphones in my ears and started to run.

I knew the terrain and my path very well; it was my favourite to take when I need to think. The final destination was the beach. Not a lot of people went there; only the kids who wanted to party on Friday nights. It was the perfect place to go to when you just needed to be alone. With my music pumping in my ears, my accelerated pace making adrenaline course through my veins, I set out for the path.

I needed to think about everything again. It had been 2 days since the encounter with the boys at the mall and we had all been very busy. We were leaving in three days and we still had a lot of packing to do. Jasper and I had spent all of our time at the other house because it was a lot easier to coordinate the packing. We only left late at night to get some sleep and then we were back over in the morning.

I spent my time with both Alice and Edward. Alice wanted to pick out my wardrobe and eventually I just gave in and let her do what she wanted. It didn't really matter because I only brought over the clothes I liked anyway. I only had to step in whenever she tried to slip something new in. For the most part I just helped Edward with his own packing. At night however, all packing stopped and the 6 of us spent the time together, usually watching movies or playing games. Our favourite activity now was to play video games. The Roomies were all incredibly competitive and Jasper and I soon learned that they could be very aggressive. It was all in good fun though, no hurtful comments were made. And I was always sad to leave later but Edward always gave me a hug before I left.

Speaking of Edward; he was very mind-boggling. He was so sweet and caring and he was the perfect gentleman. I could never ask for a better person and I certainly didn't deserve him. He was very mindful of me and I could tell that he was always looking at me, even when we were doing different things. The only thing that bothered me was that the only intimate contact between us was the hugs. I didn't have a problem with that, I loved everything about him. No, what bothered me was that our relationship seemed like a friend-based one. We talked about everything and we were the best of friends. Even after just this short time I considered him to be one of my best friends, and that was scary. Were we really in a relationship? Or was this just a friendship that we had assumed would turn out to be a relationship and we just jumped the gun? There were no intimate reactions between us at all. Was I really so unappealing to him? Maybe he had already realized this and was regretting his decision. His feelings toward me were surely only friendly. I didn't know what to do. I loved his company, but too, what were my feelings? I wasn't sure if I only had friendly feelings for him or if I had an actual attraction to him. I had thought I was attracted to him in that way, but what if I was lying to myself? This was why I went for a jog; to sort everything out.

I was at the beach now and I slowed my pace. I walked through the sand and took the long route to the water. I stood at the edge and looked around. The water was murky and dirty, it was the kind of water that you don't swim in. Nobody ever swam here anyway; it was always dirty and full of alcohol. I walked on the sand, feeling it squish beneath my shoes. It was slightly muddy from the water, and it made squelching noises. The water gently lapped at the shore, and if it weren't so dirty it might have actually been a nice beach.

I found a huge log and sat on it. My music still pounded and I lost myself in my thoughts. I only noticed when the rain started when I heard the hiss and I thought my headphones were breaking. I looked up and a huge water droplet splashed me face. I looked around and could faintly see the rain falling from the sky. I groaned; I wasn't ready to go back home yet. The sun was still out; I figured that it was only a sun shower that would be over shortly. I decided to just find a shelter and just wait it out.

I scoped out a patch of trees a little ways off and set out towards it. I looked like an island in the midst of the sand, with bushes that led to the forest surrounding the outer edge of the beach. The trees in this little patch were closely packed together, with only a little clear patch in the middle. I ducked under a low hanging branch and stood in the little empty space. I stared out through the trees, looking at the sand and the falling rain.

The sand reminded me of a desert, minus the rain. It was rolling and shaping itself into clumps, moving with the wind. The sand here was hard packed, but the top layer was free and flew over the rest. The rain dotted the sand, so that eventually it looked like a leopard skin. I was entranced, it was actually quite beautiful.

_Plop._

A large droplet hit me in the face. I looked up and saw that now the leaves at the top of the trees were becoming full of rain and so the rain was starting to fall through. After that one drop, a few more fell through and it kept raining on my head. It wasn't falling as much as outside the tree patch but it was still very wet. I put up the hood of my sweater to stop the rain from falling on my head.

The wind picked up a little bit, and I shivered. I was only wearing my sweater and a pair of spandex shorts; my usual attire for running. My music was still playing and after a few minutes I actually became somewhat comfortable, and I decided to just stay put. I let my thoughts wander and I stared out, now not really seeing what was going on around me.

Suddenly something covered my eyes. I went to lift my hands up but something from behind me grabbed them and forced them behind my back. I tried to shake the blindfold off of my eyes but my head was grabbed and forced to stay still. Before I even had time to scream a cloth was forced into my mouth. I struggled, almost all of my defensive senses been cut off, but it was no use. The only I could be certain of was that someone had grabbed me because I felt their hands as they grabbed my own.

I was being forcibly dragged along, and no matter how hard I struggled I couldn't break free from my captor or captors, I couldn't be sure which. I was quickly tiring but I couldn't give up. I knew for certain that it wasn't Jasper or the others playing a trick on me. I tried to scream but only a small sound came out. I couldn't even try to spit out the cloth because a piece of tape was put over my mouth to keep it in. Whoever had me heard my attempt at a scream and I felt a sharp sting on the side of my face as that person hit me. I then felt a large crash on my head and the last thing I remembered was hearing a couple of voices before everything went black.

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**A/N**: **This chapter looks really short but it's just because the paragraphs are long. There is actually over 1400 words in this chapter which seems to be the average number per chapter. The story really starts to pick up and the coming chapter are the ones that warrant the upped rating. I've only chaged the rating so that way my writing doesn't have to be limited. I have received quite a few alerts but no one has said that they won't read it anymore so I believe I'll be fine in doing so.**

**By the way if you look on my profile there is a link to a video that will show you Bella's beach. Please see it for a visual description of the beach, and as always- reviews are lovely. I'm looking for at least 10 per chapter, just because of how many people I know are reading it. Again, thank you for all your support and for reading the story!**

--x Lauren


	10. Bella's Missing

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, but I do own a copy of the books.**

**A/N: I've decided to dedicate each chapter to somebody for the simple reason that everything people say or do influence what I write. So this chapter is dedicated to my friend Stef for her tremendous support and her amazing advice. I wouldn't be here without her.**

**But enough sily banter...**

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**Chapter 10: Bella's Missing**

**Edward POV**

"Where is Bella?" I wondered for the millionth time. She had assured me that she'd only be gone for about an hour, but now it was three hours later. I was anxiously pacing around my house, hoping that she would come home. I had asked Jasper if it was normal for her to be late and he told me that was, for she tended to get lost in her thoughts and lose track of time. This information didn't stop me from worrying though. I knew that she knew the area really well, but she hadn't even taken a cell phone. Needless to say I would be extremely glad when she came back.

I waited and another hour slipped by. The sun would be starting to set soon and I knew that even Bella wouldn't be gone so long. I decided to go look for her. I put on my shoes, and after telling everyone else that I was going to look for her, I went out.

I couldn't remember where she had said she was going so I just started walking, looking for her. I went to the park first but she wasn't there. I then proceeded to wander the streets, looking for any sign of her. The streets were free of cars, except for a black Chevy pickup truck with tinted windows that had passed by when I stepped out of the house.

After searching for an hour, I headed back home. I didn't know the neighbourhood well enough yet to risk getting lost looking for her on the trails, but I knew that something suspicious was up. I jogged back to my house and burst through the door.

"Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, Emmett!" I called, standing in the foyer.

"Did you find her Edward?" Alice asked, coming out to see me, the others following.

"No and I looked everywhere," I said.

"She normally isn't gone so long without a good reason," Jasper commented quietly and I turned and looked at him.

"Jasper I'm pretty sure that something happened to her," I told him. "Can we take your car and look for her again? I didn't want to get lost earlier."

"Sure," he agreed immediately. "We'll take the trails and you guys can take the M3 or something and look for her in town right?" He asked the others.

"Absolutely," Alice replied. "We'll split up and meet back here in another hour okay?"

"Yes," I answered and we split up. Jasper and I took his car and the others took Rosalie's M3.

"Where do you think she would go?" Jasper asked me as we drove through one of the many paths that led into the forest. I was anxiously looking out the windshield, scanning the bushes for any sign of Bella.

"She told me where she was going but I forget where she said," I groaned. I couldn't believe that I could not seem to remember the one detail that might save Bella. I had no doubt in my mind that she was in trouble and that she needed help.

"Well we'll just have to look everywhere then won't we?" Jasper told me, trying to keep the mood light. "If I know Bella at all, I know that she'd stick pretty close to home."

"Alright," I said and we continued to look for her. I was extremely worried after we saw no sight of her.

An hour later, we turned around and headed back to the house. The others were already there, waiting for us with hopeful looks on their faces. But when we stepped out without Bella, their faces fell. Alice walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Edward we looked everywhere," she told me.

"I know," I answered simply and walked inside. I grabbed the phone and went to sit on the couch.

"What are you doing Edward?" Rose asked me, as she and everyone else came inside.

"We need to phone the police and put out a missing person alert," I said.

"I agree, that'd be the best course of action," Jasper agreed and Emmett nodded.

"Who on earth would want to take Bella?" Alice asked quietly. But I silenced her with my finger as I dialled the number. I talked to the receptionist for a while, occasionally asking Jasper some questions.

"When's Bella's birthday?" I asked him near the end.

"September 18th," he answered. I told the lady on the other end and she assured me that all police officers would be on the lookout tonight and that an alert would be put out to the news companies.

"Thank you very much," I said and hung up the phone. "Who would do something like this?" I asked, almost to myself.

"I have an idea of who it might be," Alice said quietly, giving Rose a significant glance.

"Who?" I demanded.

"Well we met some guys yesterday at the mall," Rosalie explained all about the meeting and about the rumour Bella had told them about.

"Was it Kyler, Cam, and Carson?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Alice asked.

"I remember them from high school. All the girls were afraid of them because of the rumour," he explained.

"Is this rumour true," I asked him.

"I'm not sure," Jasper admitted. "But I wonder why they were interested in Bella. They never showed any interest in her during high school thank goodness."

"Do you have their phone number so I can check?" I asked.

"No but I know their last names so we can check the phone book," he answered. I found Kyler's number and dialled.

"Hello?" A male voice asked after he picked up on the second ring.

"Is this Kyler?" I asked, not bothering with introductions.

"Yeah, who's this?" he asked. I hung up the phone and looked at the others.

"It's not him," I said.

"Try the others," Rosalie urged so I did. I said the same thing to the other two and they confirmed that they were Cam and Carson.

"So they don't have Bella," I said.

"Well Edward, all we can do is hope that it's not what it looks like and that she comes home," Alice said soothingly.

"Yeah. I'm going to bed," I said and went upstairs to my room. I was so worried. I had only known Bella for a couple days, but I cared deeply for her. I was falling for her fast, but I wanted to take things really slow. This wasn't like the movies where relationships went fast and they always stayed in love. My parents had always instilled in me that the most important relationships were based on both friendship _and_ love, and I firmly believed in that. I wanted to be a gentleman and not push the limits, but she was taxing my self-control. I had never seen anyone as beautiful as she, with her long brown hair and big brown eyes that had certain innocence to them. I missed her already and I hope that she was alright.

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**A/N: I'm sorry for the shorter chapters, they might continue for a bit simply because that's how it happens. I tried to draw things out for as long as possible in this chapter but there's only so much one can do. I would add more plot details but everything has to go in a certain sequence so the shorter chapters are here. But this means daily updates! So I know I sound like a broken record but please review. :)**


	11. Prisoner

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight; I own a volleyball and a boom box.**

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to; ginahowsen for giving me a boost of support after my last announcement, Heiderz for the lovely review, and jacobisthenewblack for always taking the time to review my chapters and I love the emotion you put into it. **

**Just a warning right now; this chapter is really dark. This is the one that warrants the M rating and this chapter is actually pretty evil. I'm not sure how I did so please review and tell me if my attempt at evil plot sucked. Thanks and on with the chapter!**

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**Chapter 11: Prisoner**

**Bella POV**

I woke up with a splitting headache. From what I couldn't remember. Everything was really blurry as I tried to remember what happened to me. I distinctly remembered going for a jog at the beach, but everything else was a bit fuzzy.

I tried to get up seeing as I was lying on the ground, but I found that I could not move. I could move my head though and I looked to see that I was completely bound by multitudes of ropes. I was lying on this weird table that reminded me of the tables in the science lab back in high school. Wait...what high school did I go to again?

My arms were criss-crossed and bound tight to the sides of the table by thick industrial rope. The same was for my legs, and I couldn't move them an inch. For some odd reason that was all that was binding me. I was still wearing my sweat shirt and shorts, but my IPod was gone.

I looked about my surroundings. I was in a very dark room, the only light coming from above my head. It seemed really eerie and I was reminded of Halloween, with all its dark decorations and creepiness. How I had got here and what happened was unknown to me and I struggled to break free of my bonds.

I gasped as a sudden jolt of pain rocketed through my body. It felt as though I had been electrocuted. I felt something heavy clamp around my neck like a vice.

"Well darling, I'm so glad to see that you are awake," a dark voice that I didn't recognize sounded from the far corner of the room, in a place I couldn't see.

"Where am I?" I tried to say, but it only came out as a squeak. The voice laughed, but I still could see no more than I did before.

"Now sugar, you should know from the movies that the villain is never revealed until the grand finale," the voice mocked me. "So don't speak, don't scream, don't move, and maybe, just maybe, you'll be alright."

I didn't believe the voice for a second. I felt fear start to grip my insides and I had a sudden burst of memory. I remembered jogging to the beach, and being grabbed from behind and being hit over the head. There was another detail I knew I should remember but I couldn't quite place it.

"What are you going to do to me?" I asked quietly, more to myself than to the evil on the other side of the cavern. But still, he must have heard it for I got another shock.

"Shush," the voice commanded. "I won't tell you what I'm going to do, you'll just experience it. But first, it seems to me like someone needs some more water."

And just like that, water fell on my head. If I wasn't being held prisoner, this might have reminded me of the circus. I was thirsty and so I opened my mouth a little bit to let the water dribble in. It tasted off; it had a slightly metallic tang to it. As soon as I swallowed I felt my head go fuzzy.

With a jolt of intuition I knew that the water must have been drugged. But before I could say or think anything else, a piece of tape covered my mouth and the light disappeared as a blindfold was put over my eyes.

"Now that you feel good," the voice cackled. "The real fun begins."

The fear twisted and swelled inside me for I had no idea what was to come. Even if I were allowed to speak I couldn't because my heart thumped erratically in my throat. What I wasn't expecting was for the ropes on my arms and legs to fall away. But that wasn't a good thing. Before I even had time to move, my arms were clamped in the same way as my neck, however my legs were kept loose.

"I know you'll be a dear and not move your legs won't you honey?" The voice mocked, and I realized that it was closer now. Too close, for it was right above me.

I tried to move them anyway but another bolt of electricity ran through me. I wanted to cry out in pain but I couldn't.

"I should have rephrased that," said the voice. "I should have said not to move your legs if you know what's best for you."

I whimpered through the tape. "Scared are we?" he asked evilly. "Then let's begin."

I waited for whatever torture he had for me to begin. I was scared for my life and I didn't know what would happen to me.

I suddenly felt a warm hand on my bare calf and it shocked me. I trembled and the voice chuckled, and I realized that it was him that was touching me.

"Just relax sweetheart," he said and his hand began to move on my leg, moving higher, higher, before moving back down again. Then he added his other hand, and though I couldn't see anything I knew what he was doing. I thrashed around viciously, all the while receiving more shocks just like a dog. I couldn't stop though; he would not hurt me this way. But after a while, the shocks became too painful and I collapsed, breathing heavily through the porous tape.

"Behave," he growled and he continued his rubbing my leg. This time his hand traveled higher and he grabbed my shorts, ripping them down my legs. He said not another word, he just performed his torture.

I couldn't stop the tears, the flowed freely from my eyes and I thanked the good Lord that my mother had made certain that I was on birth control.

He was very slow and deliberate which just made everything worse. I was so hurt and torn and by the time he was done I was spent. I just cried silently and he laughed as I felt him get off of me.

"That was excellent," he breathed by my ear. "It's good to know that you get just as excited as I do."

I wanted to shake my head at that, for he would never ever get me excited. My reactions had been involuntary and I just sobbed.

"Well, I'll be back for more after I let you rest up for a little bit," he said, and I could hear the smirk in his voice. I could tell when he had left because my arms came free and the clamp came off of my neck. But a heavy bar clamped around my bare torso.

I let myself curl up into a little ball and I sobbed for what felt like hours. I stopped after a while and just let myself daydream to what life would be like if I were not here, if I was anywhere with Edward. We'd sit on the monkey bars in the park and talk, we'd play games and we'd kiss each other for the first time. I fantasized for a little while before a big bang sounded and the fear returned.

My captor had returned and this time only the clamp around my middle held me. He continued his torture, a round two as I called it, and as much as I would like to just escape in my head while he assaulted me, I couldn't get Edward to come to mind. All I could think about was what was going on in the present, and the pain that I felt. This wasn't enjoyable for me at all, but there was nothing I could do to stop my reactions and I couldn't see anything anyway.

This time my captor didn't stop after he was done the first time. He continued for what I'm sure was hours as he came and went at least 10 times I was certain. My body was fighting exhaustion and I knew I couldn't take much more.

Finally, hours later he stopped and left, again promising to be back after I rested for a little bit. But I didn't hear him because as soon as he got off of me, the exhaustion and exertion got to me and I blacked out, even in unconsciousness thankful for a little escape from this torture.

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**A/N: So there you have it. Another chapter up and running. I worked my tail off this afternoon working on it in the library. Another broken record; REVIEW!**

--x Lauren


	12. Is There Really Hope

**Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Twilight and I never will own Twilight.**

**A/N: Alright so please don't hate me! I have good reasons or not posting for so long. My mother had a heart attack a couple weeks ago so that has taken all my energy and then final exams came up so I had to study a lot. But this chapter is actually really long, over 2000 words! It is dark and there is a lemon hint so be warned.**

**I want to dedicate this to Stef for always standing by me. Love ya mother. **

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**Chapter 12: Is There Really Hope?**

**Edward POV**

Bella was sitting in a chair, unbound, while I was watching from behind a glass window. Suddenly, she was strapped down to the chair by metal bonds and another person came into the room. I started to pound on the glass but it refused to budge. Where I was being held there were no doors or other means of escape, and the room was bare so I couldn't even try to break the glass window. I watched as the person in the room with Bella hit her repeatedly and shouted things at her that I couldn't hear. Then he proceeded to violate her sexually. I screamed at him through the glass but no one could hear me. After he had finished with her he had taken hit her in the head and she fell unconscious. I broke down and began to sob. My Bella, the only love in my life was being tortured and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

I sat up in my bed, fully awake. I looked around and found myself in my bed, in my room. I was panting and covered in sweat. My vision of Bella had only been a nightmare. I sighed in relief but sharply inhaled. Could this be a sign? Was my Bella being held captive and being tortured? I knew that something must have been wrong for it had already been 2 days since she was last seen. No one had any leads and there weren't any suspects. People were losing hope and already there had been speculation that she had been murdered and the body dumped but I refused to believe it. Bella had to be alright, she just had to be.

I got out of bed and went for a shower. I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep anyway so I might as well start looking for her again. Normally a hot shower soothes away the tension but it didn't help me this time. I had never felt so on edge in my entire life. I kept looking for a sign from my Bella but nothing ever came. I still suspected that Kyler had something to do with it but I couldn't prove anything. So for now, all I could do was search the area all over and look for some small sign.

I was eating my breakfast of Frosted Flakes and milk when an idea hit me. I still suspected Kyler, but I didn't have any proof. But there weren't any laws against me going to his house and "surveying" the property for something out of the ordinary. It was the only plan of action I had at the moment so I decided to do it. I had nothing to lose and Bella to gain.

I asked Jasper to accompany me because I was sure that it wouldn't be a wise move to go alone. I didn't want to bring the girls because the more people there were the more conspicuous we would look. Alice and Rosalie were very disappointed but I assured them that we'd call if we needed help. I couldn't find Emmett anywhere strangely enough.

So off the two of us went. I had Googled Kyler's house so I knew where we were going. It was a big place on the edge of town in a secluded area. Perfect location if you wanted to hide something and never be found I concluded. It was about a half hour drive from our house but with Emmett's Jeep we could probably make it there in twenty minutes.

The ride to the place was probably pretty but I wasn't paying attention and I don't think Jasper was either. We passed lush gardens and huge trees and very fancy mansion type houses but I didn't have eyes for anything except the road ahead of me. Once we pulled into the empty driveway I hopped out of the car and quietly snooped around. Everything seemed calm enough but if I knew anything from growing up with the others it was that you always had to expect the unexpected and the quietest time is always right before the storm.

**Bella POV**

Two miserable days. That's how long I had been held prisoner. That's how long I've been tortured against my will. I still had no idea who my captor was, but I was coming to know his torture style. The next time I had woken up after passing out my captor had informed me that it was morning so a new regimen would begin. He told me that the day before had been the easy part, to ease me in to his style. His routine for the next 2 days was; first he'd physically abuse me by hitting me across the head or whipping my arms and because I was blindfolded I never knew when he would strike next so every lash was just as painful as the last. I would cry out in pain which would just anger him and make him hit me again. Once again I tried to find Edward in my head and escape from the torture but I couldn't make him appear.

After he was finished with his beating my captor would suddenly switch personalities. It was like a 180 switch that shocked me. He would be so cruel and then the next second he'd be talking sweetly to me as if he knew me well or something. I was surprised and this gave him the opportunity to attack. I was always bound by the metal bar across my middle so I couldn't escape or hurt him but I felt the burning desire in my stomach to kick him and hurt him for sexually assaulting me.

While he was having his sick fun all I could feel was my involuntary reactions to his touch mixed with my guilt, pain, regret, and anger. I was being soiled. If Edward were ever to come to save me and if I were ever to be re-united with him, I could never touch him. I could never be near such a clean being, now that I was dirty. This thought pained me above all else. I wanted to be with Edward more than anything in the world but I knew that he would never take me back now.

I now thought of my captor as Chuck. His routine was the same every day. After he would finish with his "fun" he would leave me, always promising to be back soon. And he always was. The routine would begin again and a fresh new wave of pain would be brought on. I had no idea how someone could enjoy doing this to another human being so much.

When Chuck would rub himself on my leg I would feel the tingling in my pit that had nothing to do with my actual feelings towards him, but I would also remember Edward and fell guilt at how I was shaming him with my reactions. By the time Chuck would be trailing kisses down my body I would be in tears, silently screaming for someone to help me. When he would slip into me and have his sick finish I would be feeling two extreme emotions at once. On the one hand I would have that feeling of pleasure that comes with being a human being, and on the other hand I felt pain that I was having these emotions for someone who was sick and twisted. Chuck never did things only once. With his physical torture and his 

sexual torture he always did things at least 5 times. So by the time he would be hurting me for the third time in a row I would be feeling such deep anger that it overpowered my involuntary emotions.

All I could think of at this point was how Chuck could be so cold-hearted. He would whisper sick things in my ear while he was moving about other sexual ways he wanted to use me. I was terrified of what he saying, especially when he brought up Edward in one of his fantasies. I knew then that it must be someone who knew Edward and I were together and that left few options of who it could be. The anger I felt could never be described. I would be almost shaking and it took all my self-control not to hit him. I knew that if I ever reacted in any way that he did not expect he would certainly find another way to hurt me. All I could do was pray that someone would find me. I wasn't sure how much more I could take.

"**Chuck" POV**

That poor sweet child. She had no idea what was going to happen to her when I took her from the beach. I was glad that I had drugged her; she might've been completely intolerable the first time I went to her cell. I was also glad that I had strapped her down. Bella on a rampage didn't seem like it would be a good thing.

She was so lovely too. I could sense her fear and that just excited me more. She had no idea how truly enticing she was. All I could think of was taking her and making her come to me again and again. She didn't like the fact that she was having those feelings, I was sure of it, but she couldn't help her undeniable attraction to me, a man she couldn't even see.

Just thinking about her made my mouth water with longing. I wanted to go see her right this instant and pound myself into her, long and hard, but I knew she needed a break. It wouldn't be any fun for me at all if she was too exhausted to even care. But by giving her a break I could ensure a fresh wave of emotion every time. I knew I had all the time in the world, no one would ever suspect me or ever find the place where she was being held.

A timer beside me rang and I stood up impatiently and quickly strode towards Bella's cell. That timer symbolized my return to pure bliss. She truly had no idea how wonderful she felt. I did feel a little bit bad about beating her first, but it ensured that full range of emotion I adored. She tried to keep everything bottled up inside, the poor thing, but she could never manage to hide it from me.

I opened her door and walked inside. "Good morning my sweet Bella."

She didn't say anything but I knew she was listening because her breath hitched and she stopped breathing.

"Let's get started shall we?" I grinned. I grabbed my belt from a table off to the side and stood in front o her. She looked so helpless just lying on the table, with no way of protection. It was my favourite fantasy. I lift the belt up high and whipped her arm hard. She gasped but did no more. I frowned and hit her again. This time she began to shake and I could see tears trailing down her cheeks. This sent the rush of blood through my system.

I continued with my beating and once she was sufficiently weak enough I changed my tactics. I used a sweet tone and I peeled off my clothes. Then I got on top of her and straddled her waist. I leaned over and planted kisses along her neck, moving my mouth down to her chest. She was already unclothed from previous sessions and I was getting very excited by her mere presence. She was intoxicating and her reactions, though involuntary, made me shiver in anticipation.

I continued playing with her until I couldn't take anymore and I finished off very slowly. I let her rest for a second, with me still on top of her, but then I was unable to control myself and I went back for more. My biggest thrill was when I was whispering my other fantasies in her ear. She would hear all about what I wanted to do to her, sometimes with Edward watching. My routine continued for a few more rounds until I knew she would collapse from the exertion and it wouldn't be fun for me anymore. So I got up, said my parting words and with great difficulty left her alone. I would be back soon.

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**A/N: I do hope you like it, I personally do like the darkness because it's different. But don't worry this is about as dark as I can get, this is really out of character for me. So please review and I promise to update sooner!**

--x Lauren


	13. Anger, Fear, and Pain

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, and never will.**

**A/N: So again it's been a while. Thank goodness for summer vacation though. I wanted to dedicate this chapter to Stef and Kristina for their continued support. Love you guys!**

**Chapter 13: Anger, Fear, and Pain**

**Edward POV**

The blood rushed to my head and I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears. All I could see was that horrible excuse of a person as he tainted my poor Bella. I was looking out a glass window into a dark room where Bella was being held. It was exactly like my dream, but this was very real.

I could do nothing but watch as that disgusting piece of filth hurt my Bella. I heard her cry out and still I could do nothing. Jasper had gone to call authorities but before he left he told me not to do anything to attract attention to us. At the time I had been happy to oblige because I couldn't see what he was doing to her. But now, it was all I could do not to break through the glass and crush him with my bare hands.

Just then, Jasper tapped me on the shoulder. "We're going to find a way in," he told me, and I could see his hands were clenched into very tight fists. "The doors were locked but I managed to find a window that should be easy to get into."

I followed him to the other side of the house, both of us creeping quietly, but still managing to move quickly. The window wasn't very high up and it was already slightly ajar. I grabbed a stick from the ground and prodded it all the way open. Thankfully it was large enough that we would be able to fit through.

I hopped up on a log that was leaning against the house and swung myself inside. I was in the kitchen which was dark. I could see the faint glow of a light that was coming from the basement and I knew that this must be where the vermin was staying while he let Bella rest. I waited for Jasper to come inside before we sprung into action.

"Alright I'm pretty sure he's in there," I told Jasper quietly, pointing to the light. "You go take him down and I'll make sure that Bella is alright."

Jasper nodded and we split up.

I ran over to the side of the house where I had been watching them from outside and found a secret door in the floor. I wrenched it open and ran down the staircase. I could see Bella lying on the table, bound like an animal and I could hardly contain my anger. She was covered with only a dirty white sheet. I snarled in disgust at the man who could do such a thing.

I ran over to her and quickly undid the metal belt cinched around her, holding her to the table. I felt her flinch under me and I knew she must think that I was the scumbag, back for another round. I saw that her eyes were blindfolded so I ripped the cloth off of her eyes. Her big brown eyes were wide with fear, and red from her tears. I sucked in my breath; she looked so small and scared.

I tried to reach for her but she sat up quickly and slid to the other end of the table, her eyes bright with fear. I pulled away in shock. It was like she didn't trust me.

"Bella," I whispered, "I'm not going to hurt you."

But she only whimpered in response and pulled her knees tight to her chest.

**Jasper POV**

I crept quietly closer to the basement. I could see the light on and so I moved slowly and quietly. I could faintly hear the man's laboured breathing and I sucked in a deep breath so I would make the least amount of noise as possible. This filth did not deserve to live after what he did to my sister.

I gently pushed the door open, little by little, until I could slip through easily. The room was small and it was clearly a bedroom. There was a bed in the corner and a chest of drawers on the opposite wall. There was a window that was covered by blinds and the room was lit by a lamp sitting on top of the dresser. All in all it was a very plain room and I could tell that this scum did not stay in it for long.

He hadn't noticed me come in, he was sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to me and so I was able to creep up behind him silently. It struck me that if someone caught us, it would most definitely look like I was the bad guy, not the other way around.

I was right behind him now. I hooked my arm around his neck and pulled him into me. He gasped in surprised and started to trash but I held him in a headlock. I stood him up and I punched him in the face, knocking him backwards into the dresser.

"What the hell!" He shouted, putting a hand to his face where it had started to bleed.

"How can you do that?" I asked lowly, punching him in the gut this time. He gasped and hunched over, his hands on his middle. "How can you do those horrible things to an innocent girl?"

"Chill out man, it was all for fun," he wheezed. "I'll share if you want. No need to get aggressive."

I growled and stepped closer to him. "How dare you treat her like a piece of meat. You are disgusting and vile and you deserve to rot in the fiery pits of hell for what you have done to her."

I picked him up for he was still hunched over and threw him on the bed. He was surprisingly weak and he crashed onto it limply. I stood over him and said, "You disgust me Kyler."

He looked at me in shock but before he could get another word out, I punched him once more in the face and he slumped over unconscious. What a weak piece of filth. I would have continued to beat him; I wanted to make him pay for what he did to my sister. But I knew I had to let the authorities deal with him before I killed him. Goodness knew that I wanted to. I got up and exited the room, locking the door. I had to find Edward and Bella.

**Bella POV**

I hurt everywhere. He had finally left me alone to rest a little bit but I couldn't breathe. I was sore and aching. I wanted to cry and sob but I had no energy left to do so. I felt helpless and hopeless. I wanted 

to curl up in a ball and just die. I didn't want to be here and I didn't want to live anymore if this was all there was.

I just lay limp and closed my eyes. This seemed to help the pain a little bit but I could still feel the throbbing everywhere. I wished my captor would get bored of me and kill me or something. I couldn't do this anymore; it was taking everything I had just to breathe now.

I heard the door slam open and I cowered. He hadn't given me a long enough break. But on the bright side, maybe I'd get my wish. I was so alone in this world anyway. There was no one and nothing that would help me.

The bar around my stomach was removed and I shivered. No matter what I wished I still couldn't help my reactions. It was human nature to shy away from these things.

What I wasn't expecting was the blindfold to be taken off my eyes. It was dark in the room I could see. I curled up in fear. What was he going to do to me now? However the man in front of me wasn't my captor I knew that. I had recognized Kyler's voice the last time he had come in. This man was different. He looked shocked and he tried to reach out to me. I slid backwards in fear. Now that I was unbound I wouldn't let anyone touch me.

"Bella," the man whispered, "I'm not going to hurt you."

I stared at him in disbelief. Of course he was going to hurt me, I wasn't stupid. But, he seemed familiar. Suddenly something clicked in my head.

"I know you don't I?" I whispered back. He seemed so familiar to me but I couldn't place my finger on it.

This man looked hurt. "Bella it's me. Edward."

I stared at him for a minute before I came to a realization. "You are Edward."

He breathed in relief and made to reach for me again. But I couldn't let him do that. I tried backing up again but I had been at the edge of the table. I felt myself fall and I heard a crack. The last thing I saw was his shocked face before I blacked out.

**Edward POV**

I gasped when I saw Bella fall off the table. She was so scared and weak. I ran over to her and I saw that she was unconscious. I picked her up and held her close to me. I knew that if she woke up she'd freak out but I couldn't help it. I had to protect her. No one would ever hurt her again.

Just then Jasper burst into the room with an emergency medical crew right behind him. I had to let them see Bella and they told me to stand with Jasper. The crew began to examine her and I felt a sour taste in my mouth as I watched them. Bella didn't have any clothes, only that thin little white sheet she had pulled around herself when she had backed away from me.

"Who did this to her Jasper?" I asked him quietly.

"It was Kyler," he responded in disgust.

I hissed under my breath. "Where is he?"

"I knocked him out and the police are looking after him now," Jasper replied.

I watched as the medical crew put Bella on a stretcher and rolled her out. I glimpsed her face as they passed. Even unconscious she looked to be in pain. I sucked in a sharp breath. She had definitely suffered immensely here.

"Come on Edward, they're taking her to the hospital. We'll go home and get the others and then we'll go see her," Jasper told me.

I sighed and nodded. "Alright, let's go then."

We were the last to exit the room. Before I closed the door I looked behind me. Now that I could see clearly, the room reminded me of a torture chamber. There was the table in the middle and all around there were different instruments and weapons. I wondered if Kyler had hurt her using any of these things. Just the thought of him hurting her made my blood boil. He had violated Bella and had definitely hurt her. The scared look in her eyes when I had reached out to her would haunt me forever.

I vowed to get justice for her. We would make sure that Kyler could never hurt anyone else.

"Are you coming Edward?" Jasper asked. I hadn't realized that I had stopped walking.

"Yeah I'm coming," I said and closed the door to the vile room. I never wanted to see this place ever again.

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**A/N: Another chapter gone. I wanted to let you guys know that this story is coming to a close, only about 2-3 more chapters left I believe. So please leave feedback! Let me know what you want to happen hah. A plus tard!**

--x Lauren

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	14. Emotional

**Disclaimer: Once again, I'm not Stephenie Meyer. If I were I definitely wouldn't subject my own characters to such torture.**

**A/N: This chapter is pretty important. It's full of different emotions which were difficult for me to express properly. Be sure to leave me your opinions! This chapter is dedicated to my amazing friends, Stef, Kristina, AJ, Kelly, and Katie for all the help they've given me. Love you. :)**

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**Chapter 14: Emotional**

**Bella POV**

I felt drowsy and my eyelids were heavy. I was aware that I was lying down but with my lids as yet unopened I had no idea where I could be. My memory was fuzzy, but I strained to remember where I could be and why I would be lying down.

The torture room.

My eyes snapped open and I attempted to sit up as the memories of the past few days caught up to me. To my displeasure however, I found that I could not sit up all the way; I had a sort of cord attached to my arm preventing me from moving too much. I was relieved that I clearly wasn't trapped in that horrible dark room anymore, but I was anxious. I was alone in this big white room, and I wasn't sure if that could be a good thing or not.

I glanced around the room, finally taking in my surroundings. The room was wide and spacious, and I was the only occupant. There were a couple chairs surrounding the bed, and there were some complicated machines beside me. I became frightened. What kind of place was I being held in? Could it be that I was in for more torture than I had already endured? The tears sprang to my eyes as I remembered what had happened to me. I let them fall and I curled into a ball, rocking back and forth slightly. I was such a dirty person now. If I ever returned to the real world, no one would want to be around me.

I held myself tightly, sobbing into my arms. Why was I thinking about the future anyway? Could anyone care about what happened to me?

I didn't know how much time passed but I jumped when the door creaked open. In fact, I hadn't even noticed that there had been a door to the room. I backed up to the edge of the bed, pushing myself against the headboard and hugging my knees tighter. Whoever was coming in would have to put up a fight to hurt me.

I stared in disbelief as Edward Cullen peered into the room. How could he be here? Was he really the person who had violated me? Once again the tears started up, this time with much more force, and I was completely sobbing in a matter of seconds. I felt the tremors of pain and betrayal wrack through me.

"Bella?" Edward whispered, coming into the room. "Bella, what happened? What's wrong?"

He made to come near me but I held my hand out and glared at him. "Don't come near me," I whispered in agony.

The look of hurt and pain that shot through his face would have been enough to shake my resolve on any other day, any day where I hadn't been subjected to the torture I had received. But I had experienced a pain and I would not be deterred. He would not touch me anymore.

"Bella, are you alright?" He quietly asked, but thankfully made no move to come closer.

"What do you think?" I spat. "I can't believe I ever trusted you Edward."

He blinked in shock. "What are you talking about?"

"I was trapped in that horrible room for 3 days, and you know, never once did it cross my mind that you could be the one who was hurting me so badly. Why did you move me now? Why am I not bound anymore? Did you think I would enjoy it if you released me or something?" I was seething, and angry tears rolled down my cheeks. I glared at him with all the hate I could manage. I still felt incredibly sore and tired, and this added to the pain of the betrayal.

"Bella I'm not the one who kept you captive," Edward whispered. The shock and pain were clearly etched on his face. The face I had once thought of as beautiful now cut me deep inside.

"How dare you lie to me!" I shouted. "Why are we here then all alone? Why is it that there are these machines here? How come I've got this cord attached to my arm? Edward if you aren't the monster who did this, then why are we here?" My anger was evaporating and turning into despair. I sobbed anew, and more tears cascaded down my cheeks. I felt hopeless and utterly defenceless. There was nothing I could do to save myself anymore; I had no energy left. I gasped for air and cried. Not once did Edward interrupt me to speak. He just watched me, his eyes full of sadness and some other emotion I could not identify.

As my tears started to quiet a little, he finally spoke. "Bella, you aren't being held captive."

I stared at him. "Then where am I oh smart one?" The sarcasm felt raw as it came out, I wasn't used to speaking so much.

"Honey, you're in a hospital. We rescued you," he whispered, pleading with his eyes. I blinked. I was rescued? No, that was impossible.

"You're lying," I whispered in return. It couldn't be true.

"I'm not lying to you Bella," he insisted. "What motive would I have to lie to you, my love?"

I gasped at the word love. He couldn't love me. No one could love me anymore. Not when I was so unclean and dirty. I was just a piece of filth now. This realization started more tears and more anguish. Edward's face blanched but I couldn't think too much about that. I just wanted to be alone in my misery, to stay curled up in my ball and let the waves of misery and pain wash over me. Perhaps they'd eat me up and take me away forever.

"No! Stop lying to me!" I shouted fiercely. It hurt to think of everything that had happened to me. I still wasn't sure if he was innocent or not, but I had deducted that I was in the hospital. I had recognized the heart monitor machine when he had pointed it out to me. My heart was pounding, my whole body hurt, and there were too many emotions going on in my head. I really just wanted to give up.

**Edward POV**

Bella looked so helpless and terrified. She was always sobbing but she wouldn't say anything but to accuse me of being the one who had raped her. That accusation had cut deep inside. I couldn't believe that she would ever even consider that I would hurt her so badly. I had to remember that she was traumatized and probably didn't believe that anyone would help her. The doctor's had warned me that she might not remember much before or after her rescue. It appeared that she hadn't even remembered that Jasper and I had rescued her.

And then I had told her that she was in the hospital. I couldn't see why she wouldn't believe me, but there was some inner conflict going on inside her head, I could see it in her eyes. Her eyes. Bella's once lively brown eyes now looked dead and hollow. I could hardly stand to see her because she looked so desperate. I had no idea what to do to help her and this made me feel helpless.

"Bella seriously you are in a hospital, and you're going to be okay," I said gently. "I could go get a nurse if you like, to prove it to you."

But this had been a wrong move to make. She shook her head fiercely and ducked her head under her arm. I could only watch quietly as she cried to herself and I felt like hitting myself. I felt so useless and there was nothing I could do to save her from the pain she was going through inside her head. She wouldn't even let me near her at all. I was sitting on a chair near her bed, but at the opposite end, about as far as I could get without feeling

"Edward why are you here?" I heard her ask in a small voice after a long while. I was taken aback by her question.

"Bella I love you," I answered honestly. "Why wouldn't I be here to try and help you?"

She lifted her head and her eyes were bloodshot from all the tears. "Don't say that Edward," she commanded in a soft but authoritative voice.

"Don't say what?" I asked in confusion. I felt so incredibly stupid. I should be understanding and be able to help her get through this, not asking her to explain herself all the time.

"Don't tell me that you love me, or care about me," she explained. "No one could do that now. It's too late for me."

"Bella never say that!" I exclaimed, aghast. "We all love you just as much as ever and that will never change. This is just a misfortunate event. It doesn't change the way any of us feel about you! We'll stick by you and we'll help you heal, but we will never abandon you."

But my poor angel just stared at me in anguish. "Do you even know what happened to me Edward?"

"Of course I do," I replied quietly. "And no matter how you feel, I promise that I will never abandon you."

"Don't promise me that," Bella whispered. "I'm so unclean and filthy; I'm not good enough for you to even say those things to me. You'd be better off to leave."

I gazed at her in horror. "Bella how can you say that? You are just the same as you were before to us and nothing that ever happens to you will change that."

"Edward I think you had better just go now," she said softly, looking away. I stared at her desperately.

"Bella, you have to believe me," I pleaded.

"Just leave me alone," she whispered.

"Alright," I said, seeing her pain. It would be better to let her get some rest. I got up and quietly left the room. I vowed to make her see the truth in my words. She was just in too much pain and was clouded by her own thoughts to see it now.

I made my way to the waiting room to where the rest of our friends where waiting. When I came in, Alice got up and walked over to me.

"How is she?" she asked quietly, walking with me as I made my way to one of the hospital's leather couches.

"She doesn't feel like she's worthy enough to be with us," I answered in a dead voice. "At first she thought that I was the one who had hurt her, and that she was still captured."

Alice was looking at her feet. "That's terrible Edward! Does she still think that?"

"I'm not sure what she thinks," I admitted. "She won't say a whole lot really. She spent most of the time crying. She spoke the most when she asked me to leave," I added.

Alice put her arm around my shoulder and leaned against me. "She'll find her way Edward, just give her time. She's been so traumatized, and she's just trying to figure herself out."

"I know," I sighed. "I just hate feeling so helpless and useless. There's nothing I can do to take away her pain."

"All you can do is be there for her every step of the way and don't leave, even when she asks," Alice advised wisely.

"Thanks Alice," I said.

"Anytime," she answered.

**Jasper POV**

When Bella had been kidnapped I hadn't really felt emotion. All my energy had been concentrated on finding her. Now, when there was nothing to do but watch and try and help her heal, every emotion I had been holding back came tumbling through with more force.

At first I had been relieved when she had been found. But as we were waiting for Edward to come back to tell us the news of how she was doing, the impatience and fear crept up on me. What if she had been too hurt and didn't remember us? I knew that memory loss could happen from an event such as this. The brain would repress certain memories in order to protect the body.

But the Edward came back and he told Alice about Bella and her reactions. Listening to him I felt very helpless. It seemed that Bella was worse off than I had ever thought possible. I couldn't even comprehend why she would ever feel like we wouldn't care about her after what she went through. To me, it seemed like this would be the time when everyone rallied behind her to give her our support.

I wanted to go see her, but in a way I didn't. I wanted to know if she was alright, but I didn't want to scare her. It was a war raging inside my head and I was undecided. I eventually decided to let her be alone for a while. It's what she wanted and I did not want to push her.

A few minutes later, the doctor attending to Bella came in to discuss her injuries. Alice and Rosalie went to speak with her because it was a female thing. Edward came over to sit with Emmett and I, and we watched the old TV in the corner, though I knew we weren't paying attention. We were too wrapped up in our own thoughts.

The girls came back after a few minutes looking troubled. They didn't share the news with us right away though they promised they would soon, they just wanted to process it first. I was worried but the look in their eyes told me that I didn't have much to worry about. So, I just concentrated on happier things and how I would help Bella. I knew there wasn't much that I would be able to do being that I was a guy and everything, but I vowed to help her the best way I knew how. I would be the strong one, the rock that would keep everything together.

Bella would get better, she just had to.

**A/N: And that was just the beginning...**

--x Lauren

* * *


End file.
